[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 6 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H244]]
        CONGRESS SHOULD RETURN BUDGET SURPLUS TO AMERICAN PUBLIC

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, the budget estimates are in; and the news 
is very good. This year, for the first time, the Congress of this 
Nation is going to have an opportunity to do what the American family 
has had to do for year after year. That is balance the budget.
  Substantial progress has been made and giant steps have been taken in 
shrinking the size and the scope of the Federal Government. However, we 
must not stop now. We have finally righted the ship, and now we must 
take great care to stay the course.
  The presence of a budgetary surplus must be used to save our current 
entitlement programs, not create new ones. This money should be 
returned to the people, not used to create more layers of bloated 
Federal bureaucracy.
  Now that this Republican Congress has succeeded in balancing the 
Federal budget, all attention should be focused on the family budget. 
The liberal's concept of bigger government and $100 billion in newer 
taxes is not better government. Decreasing taxes and reducing the size 
and the scope of the Federal Government has gotten us where we are 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to continue this fight. Do not 
follow this giant step forward with two equally large steps back.

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