Richard K. Armey: “this is a gratifying day for America, a day of hope and promise for our country. And so it is with a profound sense of…”

“this is a gratifying day for America, a day of hope and promise for our country. And so it is with a profound sense of honor that I offer, on behalf of the Republican Members of the House, this proposed set of rules for the 104th Congress. I am very proud of this rules package. I believe it will dramatically alter--and I predict improve--the way in which the House conducts the American people's business. Our first goal is greater responsibility with the people's money. We will reduce the size and cost of a Congress that has grown unchecked for too many years. We will slash the number of committees and subcommittees, and reduce committee staff by a third, saving taxpayers about $40 million a year. We will stop the funding of 28 special-interest caucuses that cost $5 million a year. And we have even managed to save $300,000 a year by ending so-called commemorative legislation like National Pizza and Pasta Day. It's time for truth in budgeting.”