[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 16, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              NEW REPUBLICAN AGENDA IS SAME OLD GAME PLAN

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, recently the gentleman from Texas [Mr. 
Armey], the Republican leader, unveiled what he calls a, quote, new 
agenda for this Congress. But in fact what we really have in this new 
agenda is the same old Republican game plan of hurting working families 
and the health and safety of working families while bailing out the 
special interests.
  At a minimum, the hardworking families of this country should be able 
to count on the Congress to protect the public health, but this 
Congress has been a polluter's dream come true. During the 104th 
Congress, Republicans invited polluters to rewrite the Clean Water Act. 
They also proposed letting big companies off the hook for cleaning up 
hazardous waste that they dumped.
  The House Republican leadership has insisted on deep cuts in 
environmental protection, halting cleanups in many areas. They have 
also encouraged their folks to let people know that they are 
environmentally conscious, and then they say, ``go plant a tree, go hug 
a tree, go to a zoo, that will make people think you are 
environmentally conscious.''
  Do not be fooled by the phony agenda the Republicans have unveiled. 
It is a sad attempt to mask the truth. After almost a year and a half 
of failure, the Gingrich Congress continues to pursue an agenda that 
puts the needs and the health of Americans at risk.

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