Joe Barton

1975 we spent $332 billion, for the first time spent over $300 billion. When do you think we spent $400 billion for the first time?

Thirteen hundred percent since 1964. This year we are expected to spend $1 trillion, which is 1 thousand billion, $531 billion. Those numbers are from President Clinton's Office of Management and Budget. Those are not the Republican…

We reached the $100 billion spending mark at the Federal level in 1961 or 1962, and in the current fiscal year, it is expected we will expend just for interest on the national debt, over $225 billion. So we now pay more in interest than…

I would agree with that in a fiduciary sense. No cooperation in America could utilize its assets and abuse its borrowing privileges like we have here in Washington the last 30 to 40 years.

In my town meetings, and I am sure as the gentleman begins to do his town meetings, his constituents are going to come and demand that he cut out that waste, fraud, and abuse and cut out pork-barrel spending. The gentleman would say that…

Has not balanced the budget, the Federal Government has not balanced its budget since 1969, as the gentleman pointed out in his remarks. The point that I am trying to make by this question and answer session is that in every year since…

in order to answer that, it might be illuminatory to explain how the tax limitation balanced budget amendment is actually structured. Section 1 says that the President shall submit to the Congress a balanced budget and Congress shall vote…

I might also point out that those who say all that necessary--the only protection that is necessary is protection of a constitutional majority to pass a tax increase--we have researched in the House, and there has not been a tax increase…

Well, it was not quite that far back, but in 1964, we spent at the Federal level $118.5 billion. To put that into perspective, last year we spent over $200 billion just to pay interest on the national debt. But in 1964, the entire Federal…

to my knowledge and myself and my staff and the Congressional Research Service and the Heritage Foundation and the Citizens for a Sound Economy and many other conservative think tanks have researched this question. We can find no record of…

this country was founded on the principle of no taxation without representation. Today many Americans believe that principle has been violated and that their elected Representatives in Washington have taxed them so that they can spend…

I rise in opposition to the Freedom of Access to Clinics Act, S. 636. If passed, for the first time in our Nation's history we will make it a Federal crime in a real sense to express an opinion on an issue that some people may think is…

Yesterday another colleague from New Mexico raised on the House floor the issue of Hillary Rodham Clinton's investment of nearly $100,000 in a hedge fund that sold short health care and pharmaceutical stocks. Every President since Jimmy…

let me first say if there is any justice in the world, we will pass the Stenholm-Smith amendment as a tribute to the gentleman from Oregon [Mr. Smith], who has worked so long and hard. It would be so helpful if we could pass it on his…

we allow taxes to increase at the rate the economy is growing without any preconditions, and if in fact Congress wants to increase a return greater than that, then we would require a vote that requires 60 percent.

I have listened with great interest to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina in his comments on the Barton-Tauzin tax limitation amendment when he said it would force a future Congress to raise taxes. Could the gentleman show me…

Mr. Chairman, first, let me say that I want to congratulate my distinguished chief cosponsor, the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Tauzin] for his leadership, and I want to compliment the leaders of the opposition, the gentleman from West…

Mr. Chairman and Members of the House of Representatives, this is a historic debate. We should congratulate the balanced budget leaders, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Smith, and others, Mr. Tauzin, who helped on my amendment and Mr. Kyl, for their…

It has been a long debate today on the balanced budget amendment in general. There has been some debate about the specific alternatives that are going to be considered later this evening and tomorrow. I have listened to the debate over the…

the last time the U.S. Government had a balanced budget was in 1969. That is 25 years ago. Today, Congressman Charles Stenholm, Congressman Bob Smith, myself, and several other Congressmen are filing Discharge Petition 14 which would…

I rise in strong support of the Armey amendment. Mr. Chairman, I want to very quickly tell where we come from. We come from last weekend where there was a section of this bill that could be interpreted to require certification for home…