[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             PAYGO PROPOSAL

  (Mr. COOPER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COOPER. Madam Speaker, I think most folks back home want us to 
get along with each other in order to strengthen our Nation. Well, how 
can we best do that, especially at a time of contentious budget 
reconciliation? There is a simple proposal called PAYGO that is not 
theory; it has worked incredibly well. It worked from the year 1990 to 
the year 2002 when our friends on the other side of the aisle allowed 
it to expire.
  How well did it work? Well, Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the 
Federal Reserve, said it is the single most important thing we can do 
to right our fiscal ship. Pay-as-you-go means that if you want to spend 
more money, you have to find offsetting cuts somewhere before you can 
think about spending the new money. And it also means if you want to 
offer someone a tax cut, that is fine. Just figure out a way to pay for 
it. It is a simple and clear rule, and it guided our Nation into 
prosperity from 1990 to 2002.
  Why can we not readopt that? It has proven to work and work well for 
all Americans and to strengthen our Nation. The Blue Dog Coalition has 
been more consistent in its support for the PAYGO provisions than any 
other group in Congress. Support PAYGO.

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