On the recordJanuary 25, 1994
tonight the President will give the State of the Union Message. The American people have learned that it is not what the President says tonight but what he does afterward to follow up that counts. I am sure we will hear wonderful words emphasizing how tough the President will be on crime, how concerned he is about health care, and how he wants to reform the welfare system. We must, however, not focus on the President's words, but we must focus on the results. The facts are that the President has not filed a welfare bill. There are no specifics, and the welfare bill will not be funded in this coming budget message. When it comes to being tough on crime, we must see if the President can deliver the liberals in this House to support his rhetoric. The facts are that the President has not filed a crime bill either, and it will be interesting to see how much money is committed in his budget to fight not only welfare but crime. Finally, when it comes to health care, I predict that the President, in his budget, will not fully fund his own program. That is why he is pushing for health care to be funded off-budget, fiscally irresponsible in my judgment. Words are nice, Mr. Speaker, but it is actions that count. Welfare, crime, health care, the devil is in the details; we need to hold the President's feet to the fire and hold him accountable for the results.
