[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FISCAL YEAR 2008 BUDGET

  (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, next week we will mark up 
the budget for fiscal year 2008. That budget will set the tone for the 
year and will affect the fiscal direction of our country.
  Simply chasing higher spending with higher taxes, as the Democrats 
want, fails to address the unsustainable growth of government spending. 
Also, entitlement spending currently consumes more than half the budget 
and is projected to grow by nearly 6 percent per year, faster than the 
entire government costs now. We must take immediate and substantive 
steps to ensure we can meet commitments in the future.
  Mr. Speaker, Republicans will put forth a budget that balances the 
budget by 2012, without raising taxes, by keeping our economy strong, 
creating jobs and by reforming and strengthening entitlement programs.
  Let's work together to balance the budget, but let's make sure we do 
it the right way. The question will be answered this month, which is, 
will Democrats work with us toward these goals or go back to the days 
of tax and spend?

                          ____________________