Thomas Foley: “I am delighted to join the gentleman from Idaho [Mr. Crapo] in this effort. I also commend the gentlewoman from…”

“I am delighted to join the gentleman from Idaho [Mr. Crapo] in this effort. I also commend the gentlewoman from California [Ms. Harman] and the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Brewster] on their leadership on this issue. The American public is telling us to quit spending their money, quit wasting their dollars. This is a mechanism by which we can start locking up some of those savings and putting them towards deficit reduction. Simply put, I cut a project the other day $25 million. I found out hours later that that money, that $25 million, was swept off the table and spent somewhere else. It frustrated this Floridian to know that all of that effort was in vain because somebody else spent the dollars. Let me tell my colleagues, the gentleman from Oklahoma [Mr. Largent] spoke eloquently on the freshman class. I want to read you from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel an editorial, ``Applaud House Foley, for `revolt'': Congress has played the old shell-and-pea game with the appropriations process for years, shifting federal money from shell to shell with so much speed and dexterity that the befuddled taxpayer soon loses track of the pea. Foley and many of his colleagues in the Class of 1994 were sent to Congress partly because they pledged to get serious about reducing the deficit. In this instance at least, they seem determined to make good on their pledge.”