[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INTRODUCTION OF ZERO BASELINE BUDGET ACT

  (Mr. GOHMERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Republican 
leadership on passing a budget resolution for fiscal year 2007. 
However, I must point out that the resolution we passed last week 
provides for a $27 billion increase in nonemergency discretionary 
spending over fiscal year 2006, when we spent more than we did in 
fiscal year 2005, when we spent more than we did in fiscal year 2004, 
and so on.
  The Federal Government has a long track record of spending more money 
than it takes in. Our fiscal irresponsibility has to stop somewhere. 
That is why I am introducing today a bill titled the Zero Baseline 
Budget Act of 2006. This bill will amend the misnamed so-called 
Balanced Budget Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, which instructs 
Congress to continue spending more money than it takes in every year by 
creating a budget baseline that automatically increases over the 
previous year's spending.
  The Zero Baseline Budget Act will instruct the CBO to provide a 
baseline that has no automatic increases and does not contain emergency 
and supplemental spending over the previous year. The baseline for the 
next year will merely be the sum of the year-long spending bills in 
effect for the current year.
  This way, an increase is an increase, a cut is a cut, and the status 
quo is neither. What a novel idea, for the government to say what it 
actually means.

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