[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H10431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE CHOICE THIS NOVEMBER

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, as the November elections edge ever closer, 
the American people will be presented with a historic choice: They can 
choose to move forward with commonsense change or they can fall back to 
the old ways of doing business in the Congress.
  The Republican Congress has worked very hard to enact commonsense 
change. It has passed the first balanced budget in a generation, while 
cutting taxes for working families. It has cut wasteful Washington 
spending, passed historic health care reform, brought commonsense 
changes to our legal system, and reformed the welfare state.
  We still have a lot of work to do. The President vetoed our balanced 
budget. He vetoed tax cuts for working families. And he has 
consistently pushed for more wasteful, Washington spending.
  Democrats in Congress are leading the reaction against common sense. 
I respect many Members of this body for standing up for their liberal 
philosophy. For instance, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Rangel], who 
is poised to become the chairman of the committee that oversees taxes 
in the Congress should the Democrats regain control of the House, has 
become the chief defender of the Internal Revenue Service. He says, and 
I quote: ``We have the best and fairest tax collection system in the 
world.''
  In other words, if Democrats regain control of the Congress, we can 
just forget about tax relief for working families.
  Liberals are also thinking of ways to cut defense spending to pay for 
social welfare programs. The gentleman from California, Mr. George 
Miller, has asked and I quote: ``Do we really have to be prepared to 
fight two wars simultaneously,'' rather than pay for social welfare 
spending?
  In other words, if Democrats regain control, we can count on them to 
slash defense spending to pay for wasteful Washington spending.
  It is no secret that Democrats in the Congress will repeal our 
efforts at tort reform. They will work with their friends, the trial 
lawyers, as they have over the years, to try to repeal tort reform. And 
according to the Washington Post, if the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. 
John Dingell, becomes chairman of the Committee on Commerce, he will, 
``reexamine GOP legislation capping awards in civil damage suits and 
limiting investor suits.''
  In other words, if Democrats get control of Congress again, we can 
just forget about any commonsense legal reform.
  The Democrats in Congress are also making plans to repeal the welfare 
reform bill signed by the President, and they have not given up on the 
idea of having the Government take over our health care system. The 
Democrat agenda remains, as always, to put the Government first. They 
want more Government spending, more Government control, more Government 
influence over the lives of the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, if the Democrats regain control of the Congress, they 
will reverse the great progress we made over the last 2 years to make 
the Federal Government work better for working Americans.
  I urge my colleagues and the American people to take notice. When 
they vote this November, they have a choice of moving forward with an 
agenda of commonsense change or moving backward to the old days of 
higher taxes, more wasteful Washington spending, and a bigger, more 
intrusive Federal Government.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. DeLAY. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman think the Democrats 
have a chance of taking over? I find this exciting.
  Mr. DeLAY. Not at all.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. I am sitting on this side of the aisle saying, wow, 
this is wonderful.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, not at all. I am just 
reporting what has been reported by those that wish that they could 
take over. But, no, worse case scenario we will gain 8 to 10 seats.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  
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