[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               THE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 20, 2004, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) is recognized 
during morning hour debates.
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, we are heading into the legislative year and 
we are heading into a campaign year, as we just heard. Campaign 
rhetoric sometimes overshadows reality and truth. But the Republican 
majority will be guided by three principal themes this year: Ensuring 
our security, growing the economy, and defending the family. Everything 
we do this year in this House will get our Nation closer to one of 
those goals.
  First, we will continue to fund the ongoing war on terror and provide 
our military service men and women with the tools, training, and 
resources that they need to protect all of us. We will continue to 
export democracy and freedom to every corner of the globe.
  Second, we will continue our successful work here at home in growing 
the economy, creating jobs for the American people, and bringing fiscal 
responsibility to the government. We will make sure that the $1,000 
child tax credit remains the law of the land, something the Democrats 
opposed. We will not let the marriage tax penalty come back, as it is 
scheduled to do at the end of this year, something the Democrats want 
to see the return of. We will fight to keep the 10 percent tax bracket 
where it is, so that working families can continue to enjoy more fruits 
of their labors, something that the Democrats do not want to see 
happen.
  Members, it boggles my mind to notice that the Democrats have all of 
a sudden become deficit hawks. It is amazing to me. In the 40 years 
that the Democrats controlled this House, they never balanced the 
budget once. Not once. Deficits did not matter. Tax increases mattered. 
More spending mattered. They fought every tax relief bill every 
President brought before them. They wanted to spend more money. Not 
once did they balance the budget.
  It took less than 4 years for a Republican majority in this House to 
get to a balanced budget, because we brought fiscal sanity to this 
House and to this government. So when they talk about the President's 
budget, what they are screaming about is they want more spending, and 
the President says no. What they are screaming about is they want to 
raise taxes, and the President says no. That is what they are screaming 
about.
  And what would happen if they raised taxes on American families? They 
would kill the growth that has come because we gave tax relief. And if 
we kill the growth, revenues to the government go down. Then they will 
want to raise taxes some more; take more money to pay. We just heard 
the minority whip talk about paying this generation's debt. What he is 
talking about is raising taxes so that they can spend more. Republicans 
are interested in growing the economy, the Democrats are interested in 
growing the government.
  Third, this House will protect American families as they struggle to 
do their all-important work raising their children, caring for their 
elders, and building their communities. We will pass the Laci and 
Conner law to protect unborn victims of violence.
  We will work with the Senate to finish the reauthorization of the 
welfare system, to help families get off welfare and into stable and 
well-paying jobs.
  We will make quality and affordable health care more accessible to 
all Americans regardless of their income level.
  And, finally, we will protect the Medicare legislation passed last 
year from attempts to undermine the promise of guaranteed prescription 
drug coverage the Congress has made to our seniors.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. Speaker, as Members know, we are heading into this campaign year 
with a close election facing us in November. But as contentious as our 
debates probably will be, although we may have different agendas, our 
goals of peace and prosperity for the Nation are the same; and further 
remember that this America is best served when our differences bring 
out the best in ourselves, not the worst in each other.

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