WALLY HERGER: “29 days ago, this Congress sent President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore a proposal to lock away 100 percent of the…”

“29 days ago, this Congress sent President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore a proposal 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. Mr. Speaker, 29 days and still no word from the Clinton-Gore administration. There will be an estimated $268 billion surplus this fiscal year. Our question is simple: Should it be used to pay off our national public debt and protect Social Security and Medicare, or should it be spent on more government spending? Republicans are for using the surplus to pay off the public national debt and protecting Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I urge the President and the Vice President Gore to join us and put debt reduction and our seniors ahead of spending and agree to our 90-10 debt reduction proposal.”