[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 144 (Monday, October 12, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10565-H10566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SINCE 1977, CONGRESS FAILED AT LEAST 11 TIMES TO PASS AT LEAST ONE 
     APPROPRIATION BILL AND SHUT DOWN GOVERNMENT 9 TIMES SINCE 1990

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, we are now in the midst of another battle 
over the budget. The President remains steadfast in his unwillingness 
to meet and try to find a way to work out a compromise so we can keep 
the government running.
  The President expressed dismay that all 13 appropriation bills had 
not been passed by the Congress and signed into law. Yet, since 1977, 
when the Democrats controlled Congress, the Congress failed entirely to 
pass all 13 appropriation bills 11 times. That is right. At least 11 
times a Democrat Congress failed to pass at least one of the 
appropriation bills at all.
  Since 1990, the Democrat-run Congress has shut down the government 
nine times, the last time in 1990 when they forced President Bush to 
accept a compromise with them over the budget, which resulted in Mr. 
Bush breaking his ``no new tax'' pledge.

[[Page H10566]]

  I regret today that the Democrats seem to have forgotten how many 
times they shut the government down.

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