Political Quotes

“I have listened closely to the balanced budget debate over the past week. I wish to commend the senior Senators from West Virginia [Mr. Byrd], Illinois [Mr. Simon], Utah [Mr. Hatch], and Nevada [Mr. Reid] for their effort to bring this debate to a vote. They have focused the Nation's attention on the critical need to reduce the Federal deficit by an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The question is not whether the dire predictions that have been offered by both sides of the debate would come true if this resolution was or was not adopted. The questions are how are we going to keep Federal spending from outpacing receipts, and will Congress accept the responsibility for Federal spending that already is granted by the Constitution? I have reservations about the need to amend the U.S. Constitution to dictate fiscal policy. I oppose amending the Constitution to deal with our Nation's economic problems. Last summer, Congress adopted the President's budget proposal by instituting tough deficit control measures. Through the tireless work of President Clinton and Congress, the largest deficit reduction package in the Nation's history was adopted. Partly in response to these events, the economy in 1993 grew at an annual growth rate of 2.8 percent. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the Federal deficit will fall from $223 billion in the current fiscal year to below $170 billion in 1996.”