Maxwell Frost: “many of us have supported lockbox because we want to make real cuts that will really reduce the deficit and assist our…”

“many of us have supported lockbox because we want to make real cuts that will really reduce the deficit and assist our efforts to reach a balanced budget. However, as reported, this bill will not be applicable to 12 of the 13 fiscal year 1996 appropriations bills. I understand that my colleague from Florida, in the amendment that he has just discussed, is offering an amendment which will make this bill applicable to the labor-HHS and Department of Defense appropriations, but I think we should go all the way and cover every one of the 13 bills in this exercise. The DOD appropriation was reduced by $121 million, and those savings will be counted toward deficit reduction. If we can count those savings, why can we not count others? Mr. Chairman, let me give you a few specific examples of savings that have been made in the other 10 bills. We cut $20 million from the global environmental fund and $14 million from OPIC when we considered the foreign operations appropriation. We cut $65.8 million from the Treasury, Postal appropriation by reducing the funds for offices of the Food and Drug Administration. The energy and water appropriation was reduced $20 million by cutting the gas turbine modular helium reactor. Interior was reduced $5 million when we agreed to cut fossil energy research. In total, Mr. Chairman, the House has agreed to reduce discretionary spending by over $240 million, which, in anyone's calculation, amounts to real money.”