[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              PRAISE FOR PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR BUDGET CUTS

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, President Bush laid out a bold 
vision for answering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with generosity 
and fiscal discipline, saying as he did in the Rose Garden, ``We here 
in Washington have got a vital role to play in the recovery and 
reconstruction efforts on the gulf coast.'' The President said, ``I've 
made that clear.'' He went on to say, ``I've also made it clear we must 
do it in a fiscally responsible way. Congress needs to pay for as much 
of the hurricane relief as possible by cutting spending.'' The 
President added, ``I'll work with Members of Congress to identify 
offsets to free up money for the reconstruction efforts,'' and closed 
with the statement, ``The heart of America is big enough to be generous 
and responsible at the same time.''
  Mr. Speaker, I agree. Let us heed the President's call for fiscal 
discipline and generosity. It is accurate to state that the President's 
call for reducing spending and finding offsets is of incalculable value 
to those of us fighting to respond to the needs of this disaster 
without raising taxes or adding to the national debt. Let us heed the 
President's call. Let us make the tough choices. Let us pay for the 
cost of Katrina by reducing the size and scope of government.

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