[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 2 (Thursday, January 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       LEGISLATION TO REQUIRE CONSIDERATION OF A BALANCED BUDGET

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                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 9, 1997

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, the first priority of the 105th Congress is 
to finish the job of restoring fiscal responsibility and balancing the 
Federal budget.
  We must balance the budget fairly and responsibly by the year 2002, 
protecting vital investments such as Medicare, Medicaid, education, and 
environmental protection.
  Balancing the budget by the year 2002 is not enough. We must enact 
into law an enforcement mechanism that requires the President and the 
Congress to work toward a balanced budget every year, while providing 
necessary fiscal flexibility in times of emergency such as military 
conflict and recession.
  To achieve these goals, today I am reintroducing legislation that I 
filed in the last Congress to require the President to submit and the 
Congress to vote on a balanced budget every year.
  I believe my proposal is a better enforcement mechanism than an 
amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget because it 
provides both for fiscal responsibility and necessary flexibility in 
times of emergencies; it involves the American people by fully 
disclosing the options for and consequences of balancing the budget; 
and it does not entangle the judicial branch in our Nation's fiscal 
policies, with the potential for endless litigation.
  My bill takes a commonsense approach that does not tamper with the 
Constitution. It requires the President to submit a balanced budget 
each year, beginning in fiscal year 1999. However, if in any fiscal 
year the President determines that a balanced budget is not in the 
Nation's best interests, he is allowed to submit two budgets, one 
balanced and one with a deficit, with written justification for his 
determination. The bill also requires the Congress to vote on a 
balanced budget each year, with the same flexibility given to the 
President to protect the Nation's security and fiscal health.
  Most importantly, my bill would bring the American people into the 
debate on balancing the budget. A balanced budget amendment would tell 
us only to balance the budget--and includes huge loopholes to avoid 
it--it does not tell us what an actual balanced budget would look like. 
My bill would present to the American people the actual numbers--what 
programs would be cut, by how much, and what it would mean for our 
families, our businesses, and our Nation. We cannot succeed in 
balancing the budget without such full disclosure and thorough, honest 
debate.
  In summary, my bill simply states that the President should submit a 
balanced budget, the American people should review it, and the Congress 
should debate and vote on it--not just talk about it. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this legislation.

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