[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 29497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          SECURE SOCIAL SECURITY SURPLUS RATHER THAN WASTE IT

  (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, break out the suntan oil. Secretary Babbitt 
and 20 of his officials of the Interior Department are in the Virgin 
Islands as we speak. Apparently he greased the skids with the 
administration because the Interior bill is still in negotiations with 
House and Senate leadership. Before Secretary Babbitt made it to the 
beach, he told Congress he did not have 1 percent waste in the Interior 
budget. He said he could not absorb just a 1 percent reduction to help 
us secure the Social Security surplus.
  Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of suggestions. First, Secretary Babbitt 
could have taken only 19 Interior employees and left one of them in 
Washington, and help achieve a 1 percent reduction. Or, he could have 
gone to Wichita, Kansas, where we have competitive rates and large 
meeting rooms, and saved at least 1 percent of the cost, or he could 
have just stayed home and left the Virgin Islanders to the honeymooners 
and tourists.

  Mr. Speaker, I believe the American people would rather secure the 
Social Security surplus than see government officials spend the money, 
lubricating their skin on the beaches of the Virgin Islands.

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