[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 13, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                OPPORTUNITY FOR BALANCED BUDGET IS HERE

  (Mr. HUTCHINSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, for a lot of us conservatives, the key 
question we are asking about the balanced budget agreement between 
Congress and the President is whether the agreement on the whole 
represents a step forward or a step backward. Does this bipartisan 
compromise bring us closer or farther away from our goals to balance 
the budget, provide tax relief for American families, and reduce the 
size of government?
  Mr. Speaker, this is not a decision that I take lightly. I would like 
to see deeper tax cuts, more substantial entitlement reform, and more 
reductions in domestic spending. Nonetheless, we should not 
underestimate the opportunity this budget agreement represents.
  Unlike past budget agreements that promised to balance the budget, 
with a Republican Congress, this one actually will. It contains 
permanent tax cuts, it takes a first step toward entitlement reform, 
and this represents a step forward.
  I compliment the budget negotiators and look forward to receiving the 
details of this plan.

                          ____________________