[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 106 (Thursday, July 18, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H7784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REPUBLICANS PULL THE PLUG ON REFORM WEEK
(Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, last year these Republicans promised
revolution, a reformed Congress. Indeed America witnessed a year of
zealotry that culminated in a billion and a half dollars of squandered
taxpayer resources on costly Government shutdowns.
So this year the Republicans narrowed their focus from 1 year to 1
reform week. This week. And now that also has vanished because after
weeks of Speaker Gingrich trying to convince the American people that
the solution to special interest influence in this Congress was more
money and congressional campaigns instead of less special interest
money, and when that approach was rejected by the citizen watchdog
groups and even by a few Republicans, the Speaker pulled the plug on
reform week.
It seems that yesterday's arrogant cries of revolution have been
replaced by this year's whimpers of partisan failure.
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