[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 11, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5244-H5245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   WHERE IS THE BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT CALLED FOR IN 1974 BY THE 
                         SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, on March 17, 1994, then a 
Member of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) came to 
the floor and said, ``Clearly, our Nation's monstrous $4.3 trillion 
Federal deficit, until it is eliminated, interest payments will 
continue to eat away the important incentives which the government must 
fund. I will not stand by and watch Congress recklessly squander the 
future of our children and grandchildren.''
  Later in that same day he said, ``In light of Congress' exhibited 
inability to control spending and vote for real fiscal responsibility, 
it is imperative that we have a balanced budget amendment to compel 
Congress to end its siege on our financial future.'' That was on March 
17, 1994.
  As most of us are aware, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) 
has been the Speaker now for about 1,613 days. In that 1,613 days, he 
who controls every single amendment that comes to this House floor, 
when we start, when we stop, every bill that comes to the floor, he who 
appoints the members of the Committee on Rules that decide which 
amendments are germane, those that can be offered, has not allowed a 
vote on a balanced budget amendment.
  We would think there were a couple of things that would come to his 
mind, since in 1994 he spoke so strongly of the need for a balanced 
budget. I would like to ask Max, Trevor, Sarah, and Krystle-Joy to come 
to the floor.
  See, in the time that the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) 
has been Speaker, and they can stand in front of me, it is their big 
moment in the sun, in the 1,613 days the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Hastert) has been Speaker, we would think the gentleman who cares that 
much about the national debt would maybe let the debt go up by, say, 
$914. But that is not the case.
  Now I need Michael, Bryan, and Taylor to join us, because the Speaker 
has had 1,613 days. I guess I can take 5 minutes.
  Now, in the time that the Speaker has been for a balanced budget, he 
says, we would think the debt might grow by $914,878. That is not the 
case.
  I need Amanda, Mark, and Robin to join us.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. BUYER. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Feeney). The gentleman will state it.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether or not this fits 
the proper decorum of the House and whether this is a proper 
utilization of a prop. My question is whether this meets the decorum of 
the House.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, that is not a parliamentary 
inquiry.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. A question has been raised about decorum 
under the rules of the House.
  The Chair would rule that it maybe appropriate to use the exhibits 
that are presented, but it is inappropriate to refer to individual 
House pages by name. As long as otherwise that the exhibits are used in 
appropriate decorum and pages are not referenced by name, then the 
gentleman can proceed.
  Mr. BUYER. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Again, Mr. Speaker, in that 1,613 days 
since the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) way back when told 
us he was for a balanced budget, we would think that the debt would 
have grown by only 914,878.72, with a couple of commas thrown in, but 
it is not the case.
  I regret to do this, but I have been told by the Chair that I cannot 
call the pages by their first names, so I am going to have to ask page 
11, 12, and 13 to come forward, under the Rules of the House.
  Again, since the Speaker told us way back when how adamantly he was 
for a balanced budget, we would have thought that by now, and since I 
am losing track with a couple of commas in there, that he would have 
said, enough, it is time for a balanced budget amendment. Time to let 
Members at least vote on it. Now, 1,613 days later, it still has not 
happened.
  Now I have to ask pages 14, 15, and 16, and I practiced saying your 
names, so I apologize. Now, if the camera can get all of this, we can 
let some Members have some idea, not of the national debt, but of how 
much the debt has grown in 2 years and 1 week since the passage of the 
Bush tax cuts and the Bush budget.
  The first $2 trillion spending bill passed by this Congress did not 
come from a Democratic President, it came from a Republican President. 
The tax cuts, they increased spending, decreased revenues, and this is 
the difference.
  I think it is particularly appropriate that these fine young people 
from all parts of our country are holding the

[[Page H5245]]

sign. The lobbyists who benefited from this and the fat cats who are 
having big dinners tonight who benefited from this, they are not going 
to pay this bill. These kids are. These kids and their kids and their 
kids.


                         Parliamentary Inquiry

  Mr. KINGSTON. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman cannot use pages as props 
for his speech. They can be of assistance in holding the sign, but they 
cannot be referred to as props in the manner in which my friend, the 
gentleman from Mississippi, has just done.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's inquiry of the Chair is 
appropriate. At this point the Chair would remind the gentleman not to 
refer to the pages by name or by their presence. The exhibits 
themselves may be an appropriate use at this time, but the gentleman 
whose time it is will decline to reference pages individually or 
collectively.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. To the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Kingston), if I had voted to stick these children with that bill, I 
would be as ashamed to look at their faces as the gentleman is.
  I did not vote to stick these kids with that bill.


                announcement by the speaker pro tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Feeney). The gentleman is out of order. 
He has referred to pages as props when the Chair has ruled that their 
presence on the floor cannot be mentioned.


                         parliamentary inquiry

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is not referring 
to the pages themselves as pages. He is referring to the pages that the 
pages are holding, the 914, 878, 724. This is a parliamentary inquiry 
for clarification, Mr. Speaker. He was referring to the pages that the 
pages are holding.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is right. He is using the 
pages in an incorrect manner.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. I have not yielded my time. Under the House 
rules, the pages are allowed to hold these pages, and as long as the 
gentleman does not refer to the pages by name, he can refer to the 
pages.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is correct, that the pages are 
permitted to facilitate the presentation of exhibits, but any reference 
in any speech to the pages or to visually suggest that they are part of 
the exhibits themselves or any suggestion that the debate should 
involve the pages individually or collectively, is not in order.
  The exhibits themselves may be referred to. The pages may not be 
referred to.
  The gentleman may proceed.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) 
has 30 seconds to not refer to the pages but to refer to the exhibits.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I know that most Americans 
are at work right now. Some of you are watching. If you care about your 
country, you have got to be upset that in almost a little over 2 years 
almost $1 trillion has been added to the national debt. To make a 
reference from that, we went all the way from 1775 to 1975 and did not 
borrow that much money.
  The next time one of my Republican colleagues looks you in the eye 
and tells you he is a fiscal conservative, ask him about that trillion 
dollars and the $1 billion a day that we will pay in interest on that 
money and will pay for the rest of my lifetime, your lifetime, and, God 
bless them, Mr. Speaker, these kids' lifetime.

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