[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 112 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H8588]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PAY-AS-YOU-GO REQUIREMENTS WORK

  (Mr. KLEIN of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, yesterday this House passed 
legislation that will restore fiscal discipline by requiring the United 
States Government to only spend what it can truly afford. The Statutory 
Pay-As-You-Go Act will roll back deficits and require all new 
legislation which reduces revenues or expands spending to be paid for. 
This is a critical piece of common sense. At long last, Congress will 
be required to follow the policies that families in my district in 
south Florida stick by every day: only spend a dollar if you can save a 
dollar somewhere else.
  It is clear that pay-as-you-go requirements work. The last time they 
were in place in Congress in the 1990s we saw budget surpluses. After 
they lapsed in 2002, the lack of fiscal discipline allowed deficits to 
balloon.
  Fiscal responsibility is one of my personal core values. It is what 
my wife and I teach our children and should guide every decision we 
make in government.
  This bill marks a turning point in the fiscal health of our Nation. 
It won't happen overnight, but starting today we will begin to cut our 
deficit and return to surpluses.

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