[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 111 (Wednesday, July 22, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RESTORING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH THE STATUTORY PAY-AS-YOU-GO ACT

  (Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go, or PAYGO, Act as a long 
overdue return to fiscal responsibility. We hear a lot from our 
colleagues and friends on the other side of the aisle talking about 
their newfound concern about deficits. But it was a Republican Congress 
that allowed PAYGO legislation to expire in 2002 even after, in fact, 
it worked to produce two consecutive surpluses in 1999 and 2000 under a 
Democratic President. Unfortunately the Republican-controlled Congress 
didn't renew PAYGO in 2002, leaving us, once again, with annual 
deficits that this year now reached $1 trillion, most of it on their 
watch.
  Mr. Speaker, the cure for deficits is not floor speeches, 
catchphrases or expensively produced charts. The cure is fiscal 
responsibility. This House, if it's going to be serious about fiscal 
responsibility, must return to statutory PAYGO. I support the bill.

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