[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18540-18541]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
     DEMOCRATS ARE PREPARED TO LEAD THE COUNTRY IN A NEW DIRECTION

  Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
speak out of order for 5 minutes.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the budgets crafted by the 
Bush administration and the Republican majority do not address our 
national short-term or long-term objectives or the values of our 
Nation. It is time for a new direction.
  To meet our Nation's goals of economic security for our families and 
security for our homeland, Democrats have offered a plan.
  Democrats believe in paying down the debt and maintaining fiscal 
restraint and discipline.
  Democrats believe in real investment in life-long education which 
enables every American to reach their potential and strengthens the 
long-term financial security of our families and our Nation.
  Democrats believe in budgets that invest in our armed services to 
defend our homeland and to protect the men and women who defend us. 
Democrats believe in tax fairness and tax cuts for the middle class. We 
believe in helping Americans pay for college, buy their first home, 
find affordable health insurance, and save for retirement. We 
understand the priorities of everyday Americans.
  The Republican budgets of the last 5 years have failed to meet each 
of these objectives. At a time when American families are facing 
stagnant wages and ever-increasing bills for child care, for health 
care, for college tuition and for gas at the pump, the Republican 
Congress has failed to address these day-to-day concerns. Instead, they 
have enacted tax cuts for the very wealthy. My constituents want 
Congress to address their needs, not the wants and desires of a select 
few. It is clear which side the majority has chosen.
  Instead of budgeting fairly, the Republicans have relied on smoke-
and-mirror, borrow-and-spend gimmicks. They don't include the war in 
Iraq and the military activities in Afghanistan in their budget, they 
don't include the massive costs of repealing the estate tax for estates 
valued at $10 million or

[[Page 18541]]

more, and they don't include the full cost of the Medicare part D 
prescription drug benefit. Despite these efforts to keep costs hidden, 
their budget schemes create new deficits every year and have added 
nearly $3.5 trillion to our national debt.
  Mr. Speaker, American families deserve better and they deserve a new 
direction. Instead of making smart investments in America's future, the 
Republican budgets have run up massive deficits each year and have 
added to our national debt, so that as of now our national debt is 
nearly $8.5 trillion. This means that we spend more on interest 
payments on our debt than the combined Federal investments in 
education, homeland security, and veterans health care combined. The 
Nation's debt is unsustainable and it is immoral.
  Mr. Speaker, American families deserve better. They deserve a new 
direction.
  Mr. Speaker, the budget policies of the Bush administration and this 
Republican Congress leave our Nation less secure. Their schemes rely on 
borrowing more and more money from foreign investors. More money, mind 
you, than the amount borrowed by all past American Presidents combined.
  And instead of enhancing our safety at home and bolstering our 
security abroad, the Republican Congress continues to underfund 
important security initiatives at our ports, chemical plants and along 
our borders, this at the same time they are failing to enact many of 
the 9/11 Commission's recommendations, including enabling our police 
and firefighters to communicate seamlessly.
  Mr. Speaker, American families expect the government to make the 
necessary investments to keep them safe, and they believe that the 
American Dream should be available to everyone, not a select few. They 
deserve a new direction.
  Democrats understand that unless we change course, the harmful 
effects of the Republicans' borrow-and-spend budget policies will only 
continue.
  Democrats have a plan that makes tough, fiscally disciplined choices, 
to restore our budget to balance and to meet our obligations to 
American families; Democrats have a plan that fulfills the basic 
budgetary principles of living within our means; and Democrats have a 
plan to reduce wasteful spending and make smart investments in all 
Americans that will ensure the Nation's current and future fiscal well-
being and protect the safety, security and freedoms that make our 
Nation great.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans work hard every day. My constituents work hard 
every day to meet their obligations to their families, to their 
communities and to their Nation. We must honor their commitment, and we 
should not and cannot walk away from our obligations to them.
  Mr. Speaker, the Democrats are committed to fiscal responsibility, 
the Democrats are committed to the future of our Nation, and the 
Democrats are prepared to lead the Nation in a new direction.

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