[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 12743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          REDUCING THE DEFICIT

  (Mr. ALTMIRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. Speaker, Congress and the President continue to work 
together to strengthen our economy and begin the process of reducing 
the mountain the debt that has accumulated over the past 8 years.
  We enacted a budget that reduces the deficit by two-thirds over the 
next 4 years and by hundreds of billions over the next year alone. We 
made the necessary hard choices to dig our way out of the hole we 
inherited by eliminating programs that don't work and holding 
government contractors accountable for every penny they spend.
  We are addressing the issues that are driving our long-term deficit. 
By making health care more affordable for every American, reducing our 
dependence on foreign oil, and improving our education system to be 
more globally competitive, we're taking the necessary steps today to 
ensure that we correct the fiscal mistakes of the past and don't just 
send the bill along to future generations.

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