[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 31 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               LET US GET TO WORK ON BALANCING THE BUDGET

  (Ms. VELAZQUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, we need to put together a budget. Every 
day Republicans force poor American families to balance their budgets 
or plunge into poverty. Meanwhile, as the deadline draws near for our 
national budget to be balanced, my colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle submit nothing and delay action. Real people have to balance 
their budgets; so should we.
  Consider the human face of this debate. Hardworking people have to 
make painful decisions on a daily basis about keeping a roof over their 
family's head or putting food on their table. While you waste your time 
on political posturing, families I represent in Williamsburg and 
Brooklyn, NY, study their bank statement, trying to make ends meet. 
They cannot postpone their budget; neither should we.
  My colleagues, everyone in this Chamber supports a balanced budget, 
and there are already two proposals we could be working on. Mr. 
Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader, Americans cannot wait any longer. Let us 
get working.

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