[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13384-13385]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON LEWIS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2007

  Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, on May 17, 2007 I left 
Washington to return to Kentucky to be with my family for a medical 
emergency. As a result, I missed the following votes: rollcall 375, 
ordering the Previous Question for the rule on S. Con. Res. 21, and had 
I been present I would have voted ``nay''; rollcall 376 on agreeing to 
the resolution for the debate of S. Con. Res. 21 and had I been present 
I would have voted ``nay''; rollcall 377 on passage of S. Con. Res. 21 
and had I been present I would have voted ``nay.''
  I oppose the Democrat Budget Conference Report because of the massive 
spending increases and higher tax burdens it places on

[[Page 13385]]

Kentucky families. The budget outline includes $22 billion in new non-
defense discretionary spending, three times more than the President's 
request. Worse still, this conference report sets the course for one of 
the largest tax increases in American history--at least $217 billion 
over the next five years.
  The budget also ignores repeated warnings about the unsustainable 
rate of growth in entitlement spending, failing again to address the 
fiscal crisis facing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Our 
economy continues to enjoy one of the longest stretches of positive 
gain in recent memory. The out-of-control spending and massive tax 
increases outlined in this conference report threatens to bring our 
vibrant economy to a screeching halt.
  Also on May 17 during consideration of amendments to legislation 
concerning certain Government Sponsored Enterprises (H.R. 1427) I 
missed the following votes: rollcall 378, on agreeing to the Bachus 
amendment had I been present I would have voted, ``yea''; rollcall 379, 
on agreeing to the Hensarling amendment had I been present I would have 
voted, ``yea''; rollcall 380, on agreeing to the McHenry amendment had 
I been present I would have voted, ``yea''; rollcall 381, on agreeing 
to the Kanjorski amendment had I been present I would have voted, 
``nay''; rollcall 382 on agreeing to the Roskam amendment had I been 
present I would have voted, ``yea''; rollcall 383, on agreeing to the 
Garrett (NJ) amendment had I been present I would have voted, ``yea''.

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