On the recordJanuary 26, 1994
the President today is receiving kudos, and deservedly so, for the delivery of his State of the Union speech from the platform just behind me. He is receiving those compliments based not just on the solid content of his speech but also on his very animated and effective delivery. I was pleased as I sat in the audience to hear him recount many of the successes of his first year in office--the passage of the North American Free-Trade Agreement, the adoption of deficit reduction measures, and passage of the Brady bill--all of which I helped the President to achieve, and I was proud of that. I am, however, disappointed and sad that only one very peripheral mention was made last night by the President about campaign finance reform, because, unless and until we reduce the money spent on campaigns and reduce the influence of the special interests in how Members of Congress are elected, then it seems to me we really have not dealt with the issues facing the American people. Their faith and trust and confidence in government have ebbed, and we need to reassure them. Passage of campaign reform will do it. Mr. Speaker, I hope there is time for us to do this during this very busy session of Congress.
