Political Quotes

William Helms: “anyone even remotely familiar with the U.S. Constitution knows that no President can spend even a dime of Federal tax…”

On the recordFebruary 4, 1994
anyone even remotely familiar with the U.S. Constitution knows that no President can spend even a dime of Federal tax money that has not first been authorized and appropriated by Congress--both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. So when you hear a politician or an editor or a commentator declare that Reagan ran up the Federal debt or that Bush ran it up, bear in mind that it was, and is, the constitutional duty of Congress to control Federal spending. Congress has failed miserably in that task for about 50 years. The fiscal irresponsibility of Congress has created a Federal debt which stood at $4,515,062,063,163.40 as of the close of business yesterday, Thursday, February 3. Averaged out, every man, woman, and child in America owes a share of this massive debt, and that per capita share is $17,318.26.
Said by
William Helms
Republican · New Jersey
Source
govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

The speaker addresses Congress's responsibility for federal spending and the resulting national debt.

Share

Share on XShare on FacebookEmail this quote

More from William Helms

Oct 2, 2002

I thank all Senators who have been so kind this morning. I have been sitting here at this desk wondering who on Earth is this Helms fellow whom my colleagues keep talking about. To be sure, there are newspaper editors in North Carolina who…

govinfo.gov
Dec 7, 2001

Mr. President, there is a little bit of manipulation going on, but let me emphasize the President of the United States is in favor of the underlying amendment, to which a second-degree amendment proposes to gut the amendment I have just…

govinfo.gov
Oct 2, 2001

I thank the Chair. We have a responsibility as Senators to enact an insurance policy for our troops and our officials--such as Secretary of State Powell--to protect them from a U.N. Kangaroo Court where the United States has no veto. That…

govinfo.gov
Dec 13, 2001

I think I may be the only Senator now a Member of this body, or maybe one or two or three, who remembers when Edward R. Murrow and Herbert Matthews portrayed a young man out in the boondocks of Cuba as being a humanitarian who was ready to…

govinfo.gov
View all William Helms quotes

Other voices in this conversation