[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 27, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H392]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE PROPOSED 3-YEAR SPENDING FREEZE

  (Mr. BRIGHT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the President, according 
to the press reports that we are getting over the last couple of days, 
will be proposing a 3-year freeze on nonsecurity-related discretionary 
spending. This is a good and necessary first step to control government 
spending and reduce budget deficits.
  However, our ballooning deficits mandate that we go even further. 
Wasteful and unnecessary programs need to be ID'd. They need to be 
reduced. They need to be eliminated, and they need to be eliminated 
immediately. I have and will consistently oppose legislation that I 
believe unnecessarily increases Federal spending or funding programs 
that do not warrant support during a recession, even when they are only 
a few million dollars.
  You know, we must have the mindset that every little bit counts if 
we're going to be serious about cutting government wasteful spending. I 
hope the President goes further in explaining some of his proposals in 
the State of the Union tonight, and I will be listening very closely 
with many others.
  Yesterday, the Blue Dogs, my colleagues, released a set of proposals 
that outline the steps that we must take to have meaningful budget 
reform. The President and leadership would be well-served to adopt and 
support these proposals in the coming weeks and months.

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