[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20804]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            SHARED SACRIFICE

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, much has been said about leadership in the 
Katrina response. Some elected leaders failed because they were not 
decisive and did not make tough choices when the times called for them. 
We should not repeat those mistakes.
  True leaders make tough choices and inspire shared sacrifice when 
times get tough. President Bush outlined an unprecedented Federal 
commitment to cleaning up the mess left by Hurricane Katrina, and this 
body will give him a plan that largely reflects what he wants.
  The devil, as it is said, is in the details. How do we pay for this? 
We cannot just throw money into programs and ideas. A successful plan 
to rebuild the region will be limited in scope, targeted to specific 
needs, and its cost offset from other areas of the budget.
  It is wrong to use this tragedy as an excuse to pile more debt onto 
future generations. Let us help Katrina's victims but let us also 
tighten our belts and pay for it today.

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