[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1914-H1915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           BALANCING THE BUDGET SHOULD BE OUR FIRST PRIORITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Maine [Mr. Baldacci] is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BALDACCI. Mr. Speaker, we have been from the beginning of time, 
seems like, trying to balance our budget, trying to work on problems 
that impact on American lives, trying to make sure that children have 
health care, that working families can be able

[[Page H1915]]

to educate their children, provide health care, and be able to provide 
an opportunity for their futures.
  We have many people within our State that have to go elsewhere 
because they cannot find the economic opportunities in our State. But 
this continual haranguing as it deals with this partisan fundraising as 
far as the political activities that are going on is derailing us from 
what our most important mission ought to be, which is to balance the 
Federal budget, to secure it for future generations, not just our 
generation, but our grandchildren's generation and thereafter.
  But the continual sniping and partisanship that has been displayed by 
the House chairman of the committee doing the investigation is doing a 
disservice to all Americans who are trying to provide for their 
families.
  I would encourage Members on the other side of the aisle, as we try 
to seek a balanced budget and try to do it in a bipartisan fashion, 
that these kinds of outrages and outbursts do not serve anybody's 
interest, especially the public's interest. And when I go home every 
weekend, the people in Maine are not asking me about the political 
fund-raising that is going on at the White House or in Washington, they 
are asking me what am I doing to make college more easily accessible to 
them and their families so that they do not have to go to the poor 
farm.
  In our State it has gone from 75 percent of the loan being a grant to 
75 percent of the loan being a loan, so they get indebted and they do 
not go on to college.

                              {time}  1300

  We have got a lot of young people who cannot endure those expenses. 
We have got working families that are trying to make do on the minimum 
wage, but they cannot provide health care for their families. Those are 
the issues that are important to Americans. Those are the issues that 
are important to Maine people and those are the issues that we as 
Members of Congress that were elected to serve our people and be a 
voice for our people ought to be addressing.
  I would encourage Members on the other side of the aisle and those 
that are interested in a bipartisan fashion to stop all this political 
partisan sniping and to focus on these issues so that we can really 
tell the people of America and Maine some of the more important things 
that are going on and what we are working on and that we truly are 
putting their interest, the public interest, before the Democratic or 
the Republican interest, the public interest, because that ultimately 
is the oath of office that we are sworn to.
  These continuing partisan snipes and outbursts serve nobody's 
purpose. All they do is further polarize parties so it makes it that 
much harder to get together. In order for us to work with a Democratic 
President and a Republican Congress, we are going to need to reach 
across the aisle. So these continuing outbursts and investigations and 
partisan sniping is not going to serve anybody's interest. They may 
help partisan political interests, but that really is not the interests 
for which we are here and elected to serve.
  So while our time is here, we have to remember that famous quote, 
that we are not extraordinary people doing ordinary things. We are 
ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things. In order to do it, 
we have to continue to remember that it is being done for the public 
interest, not for the Democratic interest, not for the Republican 
interest, but the public interest.
  I would encourage and implore my colleagues on the Republican side to 
work together with me to balance the budget and put the interests of 
the people first, not the interests of their party.

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