Flawed Republican Budget Priorities

FLAWED REPUBLICAN BUDGET PRIORITIES -- (House of Representatives - October 19, 2005)

(Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, it is obvious what the Republican talking points are today. If the Democrats were in charge, how we would increase spending and increase the debt. Well, guess what, Democrats were in charge and what happened, we ended up, after President Clinton left, with $5 trillion in surpluses, surpluses as far as the eye could see.

We had not the deficit, but actually a surplus in the yearly budget of $236 billion. And what has happened since? Madam Speaker, we are $8 trillion in debt. From $5 trillion surplus to $8 trillion in debt.

What happened to all those projected surpluses every year? Oh, the Republicans said that by 2005 we would have a $269 billion surplus in the budget. Forget it, it is $319 billion in debt.

So what are we talking about when we say fiscal responsibility? And how are they going to do it now, never mind the $200 billion for the war in Iraq, let us not charge for building Baghdad, let us cut spending so we can offset rebuilding Biloxi.

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