[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7064]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 DEMOCRATS TRYING TO FIX THE FINANCIAL MESS THAT WAS CREATED OVER THE 
                              LAST 6 YEARS

  (Mr. HILL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, this week the House Budget Committee will 
mark up its fiscal year 2008 budget. After 6 years of fiscal 
recklessness, the Democratic budget will actually aim to balance in 
2012, something that Republican budgets have been unable to achieve 
over the last 6 years.
  It is important that the American people remember how we got to where 
we are today. In 2001, President Bush inherited a $5.6 trillion 
surplus, but over the next 6 years, with help from Congress, the 
President turned that surplus into a $2.8 trillion deficit.
  Congress has been so fiscally irresponsible that President Bush has 
borrowed more money from other nations than all 42 of his predecessors 
combined.
  This is not a fiscal record to be proud of. The President's attempt 
to finesse his budget has been uncovered by a nonpartisan CBO that 
concludes the President's budget does not reach balance in 5 years.
  Madam Speaker, Democrats have a different set of priorities, and ours 
begin with actually aiming to balance the budget for the first time in 
6 years.

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