[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE MESSAGE IS, WE WANT TO CHANGE HOW WASHINGTON WORKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing one of 
America's most diverse districts, representing the south side of 
Chicago, the south suburbs in Cook and Will Counties, bedroom 
communities like Morris and a lot of cornfields and farm towns, too. 
When one represents such a diverse district, they learn to listen. I 
find even though I represent city and suburbs and country, that there 
is a common message and that message is we want to change how 
Washington works. They want us to work together to find solutions and 
meet the challenges that we face.
  Now, a question is often asked from a historical perspective: Has 
this Congress in the last 5 years of the Republican majority responded 
to that call to change how Washington works and, of course, look for 
solutions and enact solutions to the challenges that we face?
  I am proud to say that in the last 5 years, we have. I was told when 
I was first elected to Congress there is no way we can balance the 
budget. They failed to do it for 28 years. There is no way we can cut 
taxes and balance the budget at the same time. They told us that the 
welfare system which had put more children in poverty than ever before 
had failed for a long time so nobody can fix that either, but I am 
proud to say that we did.
  We balanced the budget for the first time in 28 years and now we are 
debating what to do with the projected $3 trillion surplus. We cut 
taxes for the middle class and, in my home State, that first middle 
class tax cut in 16 years now means that 3 million Illinois children 
qualify for the $500 per child tax credit. That is $1.5 billion a year 
that stays home in Illinois, helping Illinois families, rather than 
being spent here in Washington.
  We enacted the first real welfare reform in over a generation, 
emphasizing work and family and responsibility. As a result of that, 
Illinois' welfare rolls have been cut in half.
  Those are successes, accomplishments that I am proud of and proud to 
be part of. That is pretty good. People often say the budget was 
balanced, taxes for the middle class were cut, welfare reform was 
enacted, but that is history. What is going to be done next?
  Our agenda here in the Republican majority is a simple agenda. We 
want to strengthen our local schools. We want to pay down the national 
debt. We want to lower taxes for middle class families. We also want to 
strengthen our retirement security system of Medicare and Social 
Security. Our agenda responds to the concerns that I often hear. 
Whether in the union halls, the steel working union halls in the 10th 
Ward of Chicago or the VFW or Legions in Joliet or the grain elevators 
in Tonica or Ottawa, I am often asked several questions. One of the 
most basic questions I am asked time and time again is, when are the 
folks in Washington going to stop spending the Social Security surplus? 
When are the folks in Washington going to break that bad habit that has 
gone on for 30 years, where Washington has dipped into the Social 
Security trust fund, raided the Social Security trust fund to spend on 
other things?
  I am proud to say, Mr. Speaker, that our goal as Republicans is to 
stop the raid on Social Security.
  I am proud to say that the White House has recognized this. At the 
beginning of the year, of course, the President called for spending 62 
percent of the Social Security surplus on Social Security and then the 
other 38 percent on other priorities. Well, we said no; it is time to 
stop the raid on Social Security.
  I was pleased to see this quote here from the chief of staff of the 
President when they finally recognized that Republicans were serious 
about stopping the raid on Social Security. Let me quote John Podesta, 
chief of staff to the President. The Republican's key goal is not to 
spend the Social Security surplus. Republicans want to stop the raid on 
Social Security.
  I am pleased to say that just a few weeks ago that the Congressional 
Budget Office, nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, issued a letter 
saying that the budget that we have enacted, the budget that we have 
passed even though the President vetoed part of it, did not spend one 
dime of the Social Security trust fund.
  The other question I am often asked by folks back home is no one ever 
talks about paying down the national debt. Washington spent beyond its 
means for 28 years, running up a $3.4 trillion national debt. Is it not 
time to start paying that off?
  I am proud to say that over the last 2 years we have made a down 
payment on paying down the national debt. We paid down $150 billion of 
the public debt over the last 2 years; $50 billion 2 years ago, $100 
billion this past year. This coming year we expect to pay down $150 
billion and over the next 10 years we should pay down two-thirds of the 
national debt, $2.2 trillion. It is an important step as we work to pay 
down the debt which is so important if we consider our future for 
America's children.
  The third question I am often asked is, and folks get frustrated, 
they are frustrated that our Nation's tax burden is so high, that only 
in time of war, in World War II, at the end of World War II, was the 
tax burden higher than it is today. Forty percent of the average 
Illinois' income goes to Washington and Springfield.
  Unfortunately, the President vetoed our effort to eliminate the 
marriage tax penalty. My hope is we will come back and do that.
  Mr. Speaker, let us stop the raid on Social Security. Let us balance 
the budget. Let us eliminate the marriage tax penalty. Let us help our 
schools and let us strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

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