Robert Dornan: “I rise today in strong opposition to the President's business as usual budget and in strong support of both the…”

“I rise today in strong opposition to the President's business as usual budget and in strong support of both the Republican alternatives. Mr. Chairman, there is no doubt that the economy is improving. How much this has to do with the President's policies and how much it has to do with the business cycle is another matter. Indeed, polls show that a majority of Americans, 64 percent, do not credit Bill Clinton's policies with the economy's resurgence. They seem to agree with one well-known economist who said the economy would have improved, ``if voters had elected Bugs Bunny.'' That seems to be the prevailing attitude in the financial community as well. No one seriously believes that the President's budget, which did not go into effect until October, is responsible for what happened all last year. Positive trends were already well in place, but that may not last long. Take the employment picture, which, though improving slightly, is still very shaky. The economy is simply not creating the types of jobs that will propel the economy strongly forward.”