[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR MEMBERS' SUPPORT ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 93

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gilchrest). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox] is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to address the 
House for purposes of thanking my colleagues today for approving House 
Resolution 93.
  House Resolution 93 expresses the sense of Congress with regard to 
the Consumer Price Index, and that the Bureau of Labor Statistics be 
the sole agency that determines what the level of the cost of living 
index should be.
  My colleagues may recall that it was not long ago in the Senate that 
the Boskin Commission came out and said we ought to artificially reduce 
a budget-driven number or a deficit-driven number or politically-driven 
number, to reduce by 1.1 percent the CPI. Later facts disclosed that 
there was not really evidence to support that arbitrary decrease.
  In fact, I am happy to report that the vote today of 399 to 16 shows 
overwhelming bipartisan support within this House, and I believe now 
within the Senate, to make sure we protect our senior citizens by 
making sure that the Bureau of Labor Statistics is the sole decision 
maker when it comes to making the CPI adjustment.
  This legislation was supported by the American Association of Retired 
Persons, AARP; the National Council on Aging; the National Council on 
Senior Citizens; the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and 
Medicare. Furthermore, it was supported by veterans groups, and I am 
pleased also to report that the chairman of the House-Senate Joint 
Economic Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. James Saxton, 
supported the bill as well.
  It is because we want to make sure that taxes will not be raised and 
because we want to make sure we protect the pensions for our seniors; 
whether they be military or Social Security or other programs for which 
we have Federal retirement programs, we want to make sure our seniors 
are protected.
  In fact, had we made that arbitrary allowance for a reduction of the 
CPI, it would have cost taxpayers approximately $320 billion. So this 
is certainly a step in the right direction. As we move forward to a 
bipartisan balanced budget for this next fiscal year, we know that the 
House has gone on record today, on behalf of our seniors and all 
taxpayers, saying that the CPI should not be a politically driven 
number, should not be one controlled by a deficit-driven number or any 
kind of politics, but the Government agency of the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics should determine that number, in fairness to our seniors, to 
our families, and to all of our citizens.
  I thank the House for its bipartisan support, and I look forward to 
other issues that protect our seniors and all taxpayers.

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