[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           FISCAL PRIORITIES

  Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I listened very carefully to my 
Republican colleagues who have come to the floor blaming the Democrats 
and the President for everything you can imagine, including the high 
price of gasoline and deficits as far as the eye can see.
  I wish to say to Senator Manchin, I am going to make some very brief 
remarks about H.R. 1 and then yield to you for 5 minutes.
  I respect the right of any colleague to say whatever he or she wants 
on the floor. But I also wish to tell the American people who may be 
following this debate, that in truth, in the last many years, 40 years, 
the only party to balance the budget was the Democrats. Bill Clinton, 
in his Presidency, not only took a deficit brought about by Republican 
Presidents, not only did he balance the budget with us, but we created 
surpluses. Guess what. Twenty-three million jobs.
  Compare that to George W. Bush. He created huge deficits, handed 
President Obama a tremendous debt and deficits--I will get the exact 
numbers--and created 1 million jobs, compared to 23 million jobs.
  I appreciate the lectures from my Republican friends, but look at any 
measure: job creation, budget balancing, stock market. Check it out, 
America. These are facts that are in the history books. So please do 
not lecture us about how to balance the budget. We know how to do it. 
The way you do it is cut waste, cut fraud, cut abuse, make sure 
everything you spend is essentially justifiable by the results, by the 
benefits, and invest in our people so if they lose a job, we invest in 
worker training, invest in our people, invest in science and 
technology, invest in health research, invest in our children.
  If you follow that method, we will not only balance the budget, we 
will create jobs. We know their approach, H.R. 1, which they support, 
would devastate this economy, barely doing anything about the deficit. 
Most amazingly, they do not think billionaires should pay even a little 
bit higher tax rate than people who are earning $150,000--billionaires, 
multimillionaires. It does not make any sense.
  So with that as an opening, I am very pleased to yield to the Senator 
from West Virginia, Mr. Manchin, for 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

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