[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 23167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



EFFORTS TO REDUCE PUBLIC DEBT AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE 
                     HELD HOSTAGE BY ADMINISTRATION

  (Mr. HERGER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, our efforts to reduce public debt and 
protect the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds are being held 
hostage by the Clinton-Gore administration.
  It has been 36 days since Congress proposed locking away Social 
Security and Medicare surpluses and dedicating 90 percent of the total 
surplus to paying off the public debt; and still no response from 
President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
  There is a good reason they have not responded. They want to 
overspend.
  President Clinton has threatened to veto seven appropriations bills 
because he claims they do not spend enough. Vice President Gore's 
budget proposal spends the entire surplus and raids the Social Security 
Trust Fund.
  The President and Vice President should put debt reduction and 
protection of Social Security and Medicare ahead of spending and 
support the 90-10 debt reduction plan proposed by the Republican 
Congress.

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