[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 149 (Saturday, August 22, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE HARD WORK OF THE STUDENTS OF HOLLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL

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                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, August 22, 2020

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following 
letter:



 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  August 22, 2020, on page E786, the following appeared: Mr. 
KITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I include in the RECORD the following 
letter:
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Mr. FITZPATRICK. 
Madam Speaker, I include in the RECORD the following letter:


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


     Mr. Joseph Fabrizio,
     Holland Middle School,
     Holland, Pennsylvania.
       Dear Mr. Fabrizio and the 8th Grade Class of Holland Middle 
     School, I appreciate that you and your class took the time to 
     reach out to me. One of the most important things you can do 
     as a citizen, other than vote, is communicate with your 
     elected officials. By writing a letter, sending an email, or 
     making a call, you ensure that I know what you are thinking 
     and that I can better represent you. It may sound cheesy, but 
     the decisions the government makes today will impact you, and 
     eventually it will be your turn to make the decisions in 
     government. My staff and I enjoyed reading the letters you 
     sent about the national debt and the steps we can take in 
     order to improve the situation. I think my colleagues in the 
     House could very much benefit from being able to review them 
     as well, so I will be putting this letter into the 
     Congressional Record. Once submitted, other Representatives 
     will know they can review what you have written. I wanted to 
     make a few points regarding the national debt and the steps I 
     have taken to address the issue. For too long, our government 
     has ignored this issue and refused to address significant 
     budgetary concerns. Two ways we can help address this issue 
     is by balancing the budget and ensuring that each year, 
     Congress approves a budget. I have introduced legislation 
     that focuses on both of these ideas.
       The first bill, H.J. Res 11, would amend the Constitution 
     to require that federal government spending does not exceed 
     the amount of revenue that the federal government takes in. 
     This is a requirement that many states, including 
     Pennsylvania, already have. It makes sense that the federal 
     government should as well. Families all across the country 
     have to balance their household budget, the same standard 
     should apply to our own government.
       The second bill, H.J. Res. 10, amends the Constitution to 
     prevent Members of Congress from being paid if Congress fails 
     to pass a budget. Eight hundred thousand federal employees 
     and their families were forced to live without paychecks last 
     time Congress failed to agree on a budget. No Member of 
     Congress should accept pay during a shutdown either. This is 
     an important step to restore the American people's faith in 
     Congress and hold public officials accountable. During the 
     2019 government shutdown, I chose to lead by example when I 
     gave $10,008.68 of my paycheck back to the U.S. taxpayers.
       If you want to stay up to date on what I am doing to 
     address the national debt, or any other issue, feel free to 
     reach out to me. If you ever happen to be in our Nation's 
     capital, I invite you to stop by your office here in the 
     House of Representatives to say hello, and I would be more 
     than happy to offer you a tour of the Capitol.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Brian Fitzpatrick
     Member of Congress

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