[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 64 (Thursday, May 9, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RESPONSIBLE DEFICIT REDUCTION WITHOUT UNREASONABLE CUTS IN EDUCATION

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last year the Republican 
majority overreached by planning to cut Medicare by $270 billion and 
offering $245 billion in tax cuts, and when they did not get their way, 
they shut the Government down. They realized that they were out of step 
with the American people and the Medicare trustees who said that we 
only needed $90 billion in cuts or downsizing, that is all that was 
needed to keep Medicare solvent.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to know that they are moving in the right 
direction now. Their new budget only calls for $168 billion in cuts, 
but they still are not quite there yet. I still believe we should 
continue to do the financially responsible thing by reducing the 
deficit. If we count the capital gains tax cut and the 4.3-cent gas cut 
that they want to do, then that adds up to $176 billion, which adds up 
close to the $168 billion they want to cut out of Medicare.
  We have reduced the deficit 4 years in a row and will continue to do 
so, unlike the huge Federal deficits that were run up during the 
1980's. We can continue down the road of responsible deficit reduction 
without the irresponsible cuts in Medicare and education.

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