[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 28185]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                               GOOD NEWS

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, no surprises, just some good news. 
Yesterday the U.S. Government announced that it paid off nearly $16 
billion of the national debt.
  There is more. The Treasury Department also stated that it expected 
to retire another $12 billion in the first quarter of next year alone. 
We are beginning to pay off that $5.5 trillion national debt, and for 
the first time since Dwight D. Eisenhower was President, the U.S. can 
boast of back-to-back budget surpluses.
  How did we achieve those budget surpluses? Simple, a Republican 
Congress remained committed to reducing wasteful government spending.
  As we continue to debate the appropriation bills for next year, it is 
my hope that we can continue to build upon our successes. Americans 
want and deserve a Federal Government that spends their tax dollars 
wisely. Let us not disappoint them.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of any remaining government 
waste that continues to permeate this area.

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