Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2006

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 -- (House of Representatives - March 16, 2005)

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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I have listened to the debate with great interest, and I keep hearing about cuts in the budget. They are not there. All of the specific cuts are just not there. They do not exist in this budget.

What this budget does do, however, is it fulfills our Federal obligations while at the same time it reduces the deficit in half by the year 2009. We all know why we have a deficit. We have a deficit because when President Bush got elected, he inherited a recession. He inherited the burst of the Internet bubble, he inherited Wall Street scandals, and the mother of all economic and all other problems, which is 9/11.

Despite that, because of the Bush policies and economic policies of this House, the economy is doing well again. If it was up to the Democrats, they would have raised taxes massively and destroyed the economy. Luckily we prevailed; the Democrats did not. And, therefore, we reduced taxes and the economy is once again doing well.

But I just heard again tonight the Democrats all concerned about the deficit. Yet let me show Members what the Democrats, who tonight have been talking about how concerned they are about the size of the deficit and spending, what they proposed just a few days ago.

They proposed in committee amendments that would have again increased spending by $67.1 billion, and yet they give us lip service tonight and continuously state they are concerned about the deficit. To borrow a phrase from a very well-known Democratic leader, Democrats are concerned about the deficit, they support reducing the deficit before they are against reducing the deficit. They cannot have it both ways.

We have a deficit that is caused by too much spending. We have to reduce the deficit, so lip service and lip balm is fine; but when push comes to shove, they cannot complain about the deficit and then try to increase spending.

What the budget that the chairman is proposing does, it does address our responsibilities while reducing the deficit and while responsibly spending the taxpayers' money.

I also heard, Mr. President, put your money where your mouth is. It is not our money, it is the taxpayers' money.

That is the big difference. We remember it is not our money. That is why we are not willing to throw it away. It is the taxpayers' money. This budget spends it responsibly. I thank the chairman for this very responsible budget and urge adoption of the budget.

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Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the budget brought forth by the gentleman from Iowa and the Committee on the Budget. We have not only, I think, the right but the duty as the legislative branch of government to perform the oversight function of the executive branch. As the gentleman from Iowa pointed out before the Committee on Rules yesterday, we really have not done that since 1997. The reality of the matter is that everything has been on automatic pilot basically since 1997 and we not only should, we must perform our oversight duty.

We have heard the word ``draconian'' with regard to supposed cuts being proposed in this budget. I think it is important to look at the facts. What the budget proposed by the Committee on the Budget calls for with regard to what constitutes the most dangerous threat on the horizon to our economic well-being, strength in this country, the great, extraordinary growth in what is referred to as mandatory spending, spending that is built into the law, that the appropriators do not have anything to do with because it is built into the law, this budget initiates a process of review and of study, oversight, so that the growth in what is almost 60 percent of the budget and projected to continue to grow and continue to grow, the growth in the mandatory spending will be reduced from 6.4 percent to 6.3 percent, one-tenth of 1 percent. Not a cut, a reduction in the growth.

We have an obligation to perform oversight, Mr. Chairman. I commend the gentleman from Iowa and the Committee on the Budget as I strongly support this budget. As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process of the Committee on Rules, along with our full committee chairman the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) and the rest of the House leadership and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Nussle), we will be doing our part to carry forth what we consider our legal obligation, oversight. We will be studying the budget process and seeing how it can better be enforced.

This is a responsible budget, it is a reasonable budget, it is one meant to contribute to the continued economic health of the United States. I strongly support it and urge all of my colleagues to do so as well.

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