[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H10775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                JOINING TOGETHER TO SAVE SOCIAL SECURITY

  (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I am going to try to give a quick 
1-minute summary. For the 40 years before the Republicans took the 
majority in this House, spending of the United States Government 
increased faster than inflation every year. Now we are starting to 
bring that spending increase down, and we have balanced the budget 
without using Social Security money for the first time in 40 years this 
year.
  Despite the fact that we have reduced discretionary spending as a 
percent of GDP for the past five years we are still using 20.8 percent 
of the gross domestic product of this country in spending and running 
this Federal Government, the highest spending in history, the highest 
rate of taxation in history. Now we are asking departments just to try 
to hold the line, to increase efficiency, to get rid of some waste and 
some fraud and some abuse in their spending.
  You have heard the figure one percent. That is how much we need to 
reduce what is authorized. It is 0.8 percent of outlays, 0.8 percent 
reduction in what is now expected to be spent. We are saying to those 
administrators, directors, department heads, try to look at 
efficiencies to save 8 cents out of every $10. Correct and stop some of 
the fraud and abuse. Mr. Speaker, they can do it. Let us do it. Let us 
join together. Let us save Social Security.

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