[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 25, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5820-H5821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SUNSET COMMISSION LEGISLATION

  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
claim my time out of order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from New 
Jersey is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor of the 
House again this Tuesday evening as part of the weekly Congressional 
Constitution Caucus efforts to highlight the Federal Government's 
limited powers as defined by the United States Constitution, 
specifically, the 10th amendment of our cherished Bill of Rights.
  And I would also like to take this time to thank the gentlemen from 
Texas and Kansas for their efforts, the gentlemen, Mr. Brady and Mr. 
Tiahrt, who have been leaders on the topic that I am going to discuss 
briefly, and that is the need for an independent body and procedures to 
review the merits of the many, many Federal programs that the American 
taxpayer has to pay for.
  In light of our high taxes and even higher deficit, the time for 
increased efficiency couldn't be greater than today. The American 
worker is working harder than he should be, sending too much of his 
hard earned dollars down here to the Federal Government, only to see it 
wasted on layers and layers of redundancy and red tape and bureaucracy.
  And so for that reason, I am here tonight to show my support for Mr. 
Tiahrt's H.R. 5766 and Mr. Brady's H.R. 3282, which are going to be 
scheduled for a floor vote later this week on Thursday.
  Due to these gentlemen's efforts, we have legislation they have 
drafted, they have set up a process of reviewing the effectiveness of 
Federal programs. It is a simple concept to make sure that the Federal 
Government is as efficient as it could be, in essence, to reduce the 
amount of time and energy that the American worker has to work, and the 
money that he has to send from his paycheck down here to Washington.
  It is no secret that there are many Federal programs that are simply 
not serving the American public. There are programs that are 
duplicative, that are no longer necessary, that simply waste taxpayers 
dollars. The taxpayer currently works 192 days just to pay for his 
share of the Federal Government spending. That is just about a week ago 
they finished working that, and now you are working for yourself. So we 
are simply asking our constituents to put in a few less hours under 
these bills to help them to keep more of their money in the Federal 
budget.
  It was Ronald Reagan once said that the closest thing to immortality 
that he would ever find here on earth is the Federal program. Well, we 
are trying to end that and make sure that some of

[[Page H5821]]

these programs actually end and become mortal.
  These programs have survived because, well, in part, because there is 
a special interests, a cottage industry has grown up, and they live off 
the taxpayers' largesse.
  But Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress are not here to represent 
special interests. We are here to work for the hard working mother and 
father who send their tax dollars here when, instead, they would like 
to keep that for their own homes and their own children.
  My friends from Texas and Kansas have taken this initiative to craft 
those legislations to set up procedures to review the bureaucracy and 
it is one of the top priorities of myself and the members of the 
Congressional Constitution Caucus to see that this legislation is put 
into place.
  I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Tiahrt and Mr. Brady on 
this legislation to make recommendations to them. I have worked with 
them as well, and as members, the gentleman from Utah as well sits here 
on the floor as well, to make recommendations to make these programs 
have teeth, because you see, they are already outside organizations 
that are simply reviewing what the Federal Government does, looks at 
the efficiency. There is already those outside organizations that can 
tell Congress what do in a more efficient manner. We have got to make 
that you if we pass legislation, that these new procedures will 
actually have teeth and make sure that they are implemented and 
actually reduce the size and scope of the Federal Government.
  One of the suggestions that has been incorporated into Mr. Tiahrt's 
bill, which I think will do well to move along and add the teeth to it, 
is simply to add a criteria to the legislation, one to review the 
duplicity and the efficiency of the Federal programs, and to see 
whether or not current Federal programs are constitutional; that is to 
say, do they meet specifics limited enumerated powers that any child in 
this country could find in Article I, section 8. Thus we ensure that 
all Federal programs have a constitutionally acceptable and not outside 
the intended limited size and scope of the Federal Government.
  So I greatly appreciate the gentlemen from Texas and from Kansas for 
their work in this matter.
  I also would like to take this time to thank the gentleman from Utah 
sitting to my right for all of his work in making sure that the 
American public and Congress continues their focus on the Federal 
Government and the Constitution and his efforts as far as bringing this 
attention to the public each Tuesday.
  And I close, as we leave the Chambers this week to go back to our 
districts, as part of our district work period for Congress to 
encourage the American public to do what other Members have done on 
this floor as well, to read the Constitution, to look to the 
limitations that the Founding Fathers have instilled into it.

                              {time}  1900

  And I close with this quote from Thomas Jefferson, which he stated 
February 15, 1791: ``To take a single step beyond the boundaries 
specifically drawn around the powers of Congress'' in the Constitution 
``is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer 
susceptible to any definition.''
  Mr. Speaker, the Founders intended that the Constitution would set 
those parameters, and I encourage this House to abide by them

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