Joe Barton: “I really had not intended to speak tonight on the supplemental appropriation, but I have been locked out of my office…”

“I really had not intended to speak tonight on the supplemental appropriation, but I have been locked out of my office due to my own inability to remember my keys, so I have had no recourse but to sit on the floor and actually listen to the debate, which is a very enlightening experience. Now, I got elected in 1984. From 1985 in January when I got sworn in, to 1995 in January, when the first Republican majority took this House in over 40 years, there was one balanced budget presented to the House of Representatives to vote on. One, in the first 10 years that I was a Member of this body serving in the minority, and that was the budget that President Reagan supported. I think it got 13 votes, and I voted for it. There was a reception down at the White House and President Reagan asked all of the folks that were willing to vote for a balanced budget to come down, and I believe there were 13 of us. I think all 13 were Republicans, but it is possible that there were one or two Democrats, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) and perhaps the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm). I would have to go back and look at that. So the first point I want to make about that is that when my good friends who are in the minority tonight were in the majority, they did not present any balanced budgets for the American people; they did not present any balanced budgets on the House floor. Now, when the Republicans got into the majority, we did.”