[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   DEMOCRAT DEMAGOGUERY ON THE BUDGET

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, one would never know what is actually in 
the Republican budget proposal by listening to the other side. In fact, 
I do not even recognize our own budget after listening to what the 
other side is saying about it.
  I guess it is Mediscare all over again with a lot of demagoguery on 
Social Security added on to it. On second thought, make that a lot of 
demagoguery on Social Security to go with it.
  One has the impression that our friends on the other side of the 
aisle have not looked at the Congressional Budget Office report on our 
budget. Maybe they are getting their information about our budget from 
their own press releases.
  Our budget reserves 100 percent of the retirement surplus for Social 
Security and Medicare. Let me repeat that for the benefit of any 
demagogues on the other side of the aisle who seem to have some 
difficulty with that fact. Our budget reserves 100 percent, again 100 
percent, of the retirement surplus for Social Security and Medicare.
  I urge my skeptical colleagues on the other side to call the CBO for 
themselves to verify this fact.

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