[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 113 (Wednesday, August 4, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H6969-H6970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES, AND THE REPUBLICANS HAVE NO SURPLUS TO 
                   SPEND ON TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY

  (Mr. DeFAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, ``emergency,'' an unforeseen combination of 
circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action.
  Today the House of Representatives, under Republican leadership, will 
declare an emergency, $4.5 billion for the decennial census. Since that 
is required

[[Page H6970]]

in Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson could 
have predicted that we would have to do a census next year, but not the 
Republican leadership. No.
  This is the second of at least three emergencies they are going to 
declare this year: The war in Kosovo, with a whole lot of things added 
in; the drought, a real emergency; and now, the census; more than $27 
billion.
  The emergency is, they want to deny the reality of the budget. That 
reality is, we now have a deficit looming next year and for years to 
come because of faulty assumptions and emergency spending and other 
needs of the government.
  The emperor has no clothes, and the Republicans have no surplus to 
spend on tax cuts for the wealthy. But they continue to deny that 
reality with shenanigans like emergency spending for routine, 
constitutionally-required government duties. It is a very bad joke.

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