WALLY HERGER: “today is day 23 of the debt reduction held hostage by the Clinton-Gore administration. It has been 23 days since…”

“today is day 23 of the debt reduction held hostage by the Clinton-Gore administration. It has been 23 days since Congress proposed to lock away 100 percent of the Social Security and Medicare surpluses and dedicate at least 90 percent of the total budget surplus for debt reduction, but still no answer from the Clinton-Gore administration. There will be an estimated $268 billion surplus this fiscal year alone. Our question is simple: Should it be used to pay off our public debt, or should it be spent on ongoing Federal programs? Republicans are for using the surplus to pay off public debt. Where do President Clinton and Vice President Gore stand? Mr. Speaker, I urge the President and the Vice President to put debt reduction ahead of spending and agree to our 90-10 debt reduction proposal.”