[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E32]]
                           RULES OF THE HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 6, 2009

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the 110th Congress, the 
new Democratic majority reinstated the proven PAYGO rules that were 
abandoned by President Bush and the then-Republican Congress as an 
important first step in ending reckless spending and getting our 
country back on track fiscally.
  I am proud to say that the House rules package for the 111th Congress 
maintains the Democratic commitment that government should live within 
its means--just as every family across America must live within its own 
budget.
  While the House of Representatives consistently adheres to the PAYGO 
rules, the fact remains that these are tough times for our country 
economically and financially.
  Millions of American families' jobs and livelihoods are at risk and 
we have the responsibility to react in a timely and efficient manner.
  As such, Blue Dogs have worked to include an emergency exception to 
the House PAYGO rules, similar to the emergency provisions used 
throughout the 1990s, so that Congress has the flexibility it needs to 
respond to extraordinary circumstances.
  Let me be clear: this is not just simply a way around PAYGO. This can 
only be used in the event of true, defined emergencies such as war, a 
response to an act of terrorism, a natural disaster, or even the 
current economic crisis.
  What is profoundly difficult in all this is that just 8 years ago, 
President Bush inherited--and squandered--a projected $5.6 trillion 
surplus from President Clinton.
  Had President Bush not abandoned the Blue Dog principles of fiscal 
responsibility that we have long preached, the projected $5.6 trillion 
dollar surplus would have been available for us to respond to the 
economic crisis in a swift and effective manner, without having to ask 
foreign nations such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran to pay our bills.
  In spite of our Nation's current ailments, one thing is for certain. 
PAYGO is and must continue to be our guiding principle. We should not 
be in the economic and fiscal situation that we are today, and it's 
high time we start doing the right thing by paying for what this 
country buys.

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