[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 14, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       CONCERNS ABOUT 1997 BUDGET

  (Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, we've now had a look at the Republican's 
1997 budget, and I have several major concerns.
  It appears that many of the cuts proposed last year have reappeared 
in the new budget. These include cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, cuts in 
the earned income tax credit, and in education.
  I am greatly concerned about the impact of these cuts on seniors, on 
rural health programs, on student loan programs.
  I also worry about extremist positions on these budget areas which 
will lead once again to Government shutdowns, disruption of service to 
Americans, and a tremendous waste of time and money.
  Mr. Speaker, we have the means to reach agreement on a plan to 
balance the budget in 7 years.
  In discussions earlier this year, Republicans and the President 
agreed on certain cuts, enough to realize $711 billion in savings.
  At the time of the discussion, only $635 billion in cuts was needed 
to balance the budget by the year 2002. More recent figures show 
similar areas of agreement.
  Let's build on areas where we agree. Let's balance the budget while 
protecting essential programs for Americans--education, the 
environment, Medicaid, and Medicare.

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