[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                     EXERCISING FINANCIAL RESTRAINT

  (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, our constituents did 
not send us to Congress to create debt and pass it on to our children 
and grandchildren. Yet it is estimated by the end of the fiscal year 
2006, we will have a Federal budget deficit of $337 billion. There are 
many variables affecting this number, but government spending is out of 
control, bottom line.
  In the coming weeks, we will debate the fiscal year 2007 Federal 
budget, and we will be faced with a choice to continue spending at the 
same level or make tough decisions to rein in spending. We cannot 
continue to fund everything, because if we do, we won't be able to 
support anything.
  Later this morning, the Republican Study Committee will introduce an 
alternative budget. This budget allows us to renew our purpose of 
fiscal restraint, paying down or national debt and balance the budget. 
I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Budget Committee, 
Republicans and Democrats alike, because spending should not be a 
partisan issue.

                          ____________________