Wally Herger

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, this Republican Congress has stopped the raid on Social Security. The Congressional Budget Office projected this week that in fiscal year 1999, for the first time in 30 years, not one penny of the Social Security surplus was spent. Now, it is our duty to prevent the raid from ever happening again. Mr. Speaker, 140 days ago, Republicans and Democrats in the House joined together to pass a Social Security lockbox, which protects Social Security from being spent on unrelated programs. Senate Republicans have attempted to bring this bill to the Senate Floor seven times, and on seven occasions, the measure was blocked from even being considered by a straight party line vote. Mr. Speaker, American seniors deserve more from Senate Democrats and President Clinton. They deserve a Social Security lockbox.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, today is day 131 of the Social Security lockbox held hostage by President Clinton and the minority party in the Senate. One hundred thirty-one days ago, this House, both Democrats and Republicans, voted overwhelmingly 416-12 to lock up Social Security dollars to protect them from being spent on unrelated programs. Since the passage of the Social Security lockbox in the House, the Senate leadership is on record six times attempting to bring the Social Security lockbox for a vote on the Senate floor. And for six times the approval to even consider the Social Security lockbox was denied on a straight party-line vote. Mr. Speaker, the House is committed to ending the 30-year raid on Social Security. I urge the Democrat minority in the Senate to allow for the same.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the reason we are here this morning, and the reason we are bringing up this sense of a concurrent resolution to not, for the first time, be spending Social Security surplus is because of what we have done in the past. We have spent Social Security surpluses in the past. The fact is we have not voted out a final budget yet. Even the resolutions that we have put out that have gone out of here, the President has indicated he was going to veto them because we have not spent enough in them. Just yesterday, the President was out proclaiming that we had $115 billion surplus. The fact is we do not have $115 billion surplus if we figure in the fact that is Social Security. We have to begin somewhere. Let us begin today on voting out our budgets that are within the spending caps. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is about committing this Congress to end the raids on Social Security. Four months ago, this House passed a Social Security lockbox by an overwhelming 416 to 12 vote. Will it be easy for this Congress to not spend Social Security surpluses as Washington has done for the past 60 years? No. I have projects in my district that I would like to have funded. But, Mr. Speaker, we owe it to our constituents and our seniors to stop the raids on Social Security. Let us set a precedent in fiscal year 2000. Let us lock up the Social Security surplus. I urge an ``aye'' vote on this measure.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time for closing.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint).

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, just in response, for the last almost 40 years that the other side of the aisle was in control, we never heard one word about protecting Social Security during that period of time. Now we are talking about it. We are putting it up front. A final budget has not been passed, and that is the purpose of why we are here this morning. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith). (Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary Miller).

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, again I want to emphasize, we do not have a final budget yet. This is being done specifically to help put pressure on this Congress to do what we have already promised we would do, and that is not spend the Social Security surplus. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Chambliss), a distinguished member from the Committee on the Budget. (Mr. CHAMBLISS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, could we inquire of the remaining time, please?

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, again, what we are trying to do is break the addiction that we have had since 1937 of spending Social Security. It is a hard addiction to do away with. But why we are bringing this up again today is that we want to emphasize it, so that this Congress, before we vote on final passage of the conference committee of our appropriation bills, that we do not spend this. Mr. Speaker, I yield two minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, that is my understanding of the resolution.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the point is, we have to begin doing the right thing. We have not been doing the right thing since 1937 when we first began spending Social Security surpluses. We need to begin doing that now. We all have projects in our districts that we would like to spend money on, and the fact is the reason we are here doing this today is to help reemphasize, during this time we are in the appropriations season, that we are going to cut back, that we are going to trim back these legislations so that we are not spending Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today Congress has an opportunity to send a clear message to all current and future Social Security recipients. Fiscal year 2000 will be the year Congress will end the raid on Social Security. For over 30 years, the Social Security Trust Fund has been used to distort surpluses, numbers, and mass deficits. Mr. Speaker, for years the Social Security trust fund has run a surplus, and for years Washington has taken that surplus and spent it on programs unrelated to Social Security. Just 4 months ago, this House passed by an overwhelming 416-to-12 vote the Social Security Medicare Safe Deposit Box Act of 1999, a measure I introduced which locked up the Social Security Trust Fund, making it much more difficult to spend for non-Social Security purposes. This sense of the House Resolution we are considering today will reiterate the overwhelming passage of the Social Security Lockbox and our commitment to our seniors by reemphasizing this Congress' steadfast commitment to not spend one penny of the Social Security surplus. This resolution does not have any impact on any spending or tax relief that would not come from the Social Security surplus. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to not pass up this opportunity to protect Social Security and to vote for this resolution committing ourselves against any effort to once again raid the Social Security Trust Fund. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 306) expressing the desire of the House of Representatives to not spend any of the budget surplus created by social security receipts and to continue to retire the debt held by the public.

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, just responding to the last speaker, it is precisely for this reason why we need this resolution, to enforce on this Congress the importance that we need to be trimming down in conference the spending that has been going on so that we ensure that we do not spend Social Security. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Vitter.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to my good friend from New York, his comment on the 1980s, during the Reagan administration, regarding the tax cut. I would like to state the facts during that time. During that time, the tax rates were cut in half and revenues during the 1980s actually doubled. But the then Democrat Congress tripled the spending, so we ended up spending more. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act. The time has come to allow hard-working Americans to keep more of their money. Mr. Speaker, our plan sets aside three-fourths of the anticipated surplus, 75 cents out of every dollar for Social Security and Medicare. Now we must take the next step. The legislation before us today provides all taxpayers with broad-based tax relief by reducing tax rates for all income taxpayers, allows parents to save more for educational expenses, and phases out both the destructive marriage penalty and death tax. Mr. Speaker, let us side with hard-working Americans over Washington bureaucracy. I urge all my colleagues to support the Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this balanced tax relief proposal, the Financial Freedom Act of 1999, because I believe the time has come to allow hard-working Americans to keep more of what they earn. Mr. Speaker, it is estimated that over the next 10 years, the Federal Government will overtax to the tune of almost $3 trillion. This plan reserves two-thirds of this amount for retirement security, saving this money for Social Security and Medicare. Moreover, this House recently passed, by an overwhelming vote, 416 to 12, my Social Security lockbox legislation which would protect every penny in the Social Security trust fund, and I am hopeful that the Senate will soon follow suit. Now we must take the next step, by recognizing that American taxpayers, not Washington, have created our current economic prosperity, and it is taxpayers, not Washington, who should reap the benefits. By almost any measure, Americans are currently overtaxed. In fact, Americans now pay more in taxes than they spend on food, on clothing, and on shelter combined. This is simply wrong. The legislation before us today reduces taxes by $792 billion over the next decade. This is $792 billion in the pockets of taxpayers rather than in Washington. Specifically, this legislation provides all taxpayers with broad- based tax relief by reducing tax rates 10 percent across the board. Additionally, this legislation grants relief to married couples by reducing the marriage tax penalty through the Herger-Weller provision; makes it easier to save for education expenses by expanding education savings accounts; makes long-term health care more affordable and accessible; encourages investment by reducing capital gains taxes; and completely phases out the unfair and destructive death tax so that parents and grandparents will be able to pass on their hard-earned savings to their children and grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, our choice today is clear. We can side with the American taxpayer or we can side with bigger government and more Washington bureaucracy. I commend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer) for his leadership on this proposal, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to seize this opportunity to provide the American people with much needed and well deserved tax relief.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Chairman, I stand in strong support of H.R. 434. The African Growth and Opportunity Act is a win-win for African and American workers. Africa is an untapped market of 700 million consumers for American goods and services. H.R. 434 will encourage African economic reforms, which will provide U.S. firms and workers with greater access to the growing economies of Africa. The U.S. exports to sub-Saharan Africa rose 8.4 percent in 1998 to $6.7 billion. These exports support over 100,000 U.S. jobs, based on the Department of Commerce estimates. Furthermore, U.S. exports to Africa are intensive in high-wage industries, such as aircraft and parts, construction machinery and equipment, computers, motor vehicles, and telecommunications equipment. Africa is also an important agricultural market for the United States. In 1998, wheat and wheat flour was the fifth largest U.S. export product to sub-Saharan Africa with a value of $262 million. This legislation requires the President to develop a plan to enter into free-trade agreements with sub-Saharan African countries and provides an opportunity for regular meetings with African officials to discuss trade liberalization. H.R. 434 expresses support for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation's, OPIC's, creation of infrastructure and equity funds for projects in Africa. But this legislation also benefits the Africans themselves. For example, H.R. 434 establishes the U.S. trade policy with Africa. Again, I urge my colleagues' strong support for this legislation.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Chairman, I want to take just a moment and recognize both the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Archer) and the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) for including a provision I have been working on, the Criminal Welfare Prevention Act, part three. As section 204 of the legislation before us today, this common-sense provision, which I first introduced last Congress and have reintroduced this year, would require the Social Security Administration to share its prisoner data base with other Federal departments and agencies, such as the Department of Agriculture, Education, Labor and Veterans' Affairs, to help prevent the continued payment of fraudulent benefits to prisoners. Since the enactment of my original Criminal Welfare Prevention Act as part of the welfare reform of 1996, the Social Security Administration's prisoner database has become an extremely effective tool in detecting and cutting off fraudulent SSI and Social Security benefits that would otherwise go to prisoners. In fact, according to Social Security Administration's inspector general, that provision will help save taxpayers $3.46 billion through the year 2001. It not only makes sense to require SSA to share this improved prisoner database with other agencies to help prevent further inmate fraud; after all, taxpayers already foot the bill for prisoners' food, clothing and shelter. The last thing we need to do is send in monthly bonus checks as well. I look forward to seeing this provision enacted into law, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this worthy legislation.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to announce the introduction of The Death Tax Inflation Adjustment Act, legislation which would provide an annual cost-of-living adjustment for the unified credit--a major estate tax reduction tool--beginning in 2007. Despite a tax system that discourages savings, many American families work hard to set aside a portion of their earnings because they hope to be able to leave something to their children. Not only are these lifelong savings subject to the death tax, however, but the value of the unified credit--a major death tax reduction tool--had, until recently, been seriously eroded by inflation. As a result of the historic ``Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997,'' the unified credit will now be gradually increased from an affective exemption of $600,000 in 1998 to an effective exemption of $1,000,000 in 2006. Regrettably, while both the House- and Senate-passed versions of that landmark tax reduction package indexed this $1,000,000 exemption annually for inflation, this provision was dropped from the final conference report and was not enacted into law. Mr. Speaker, the legislation I am introducing today would simply provide for an annual cost-of-living adjustment to the unified credit beginning in 2007. While many of us in Congress would like to eliminate the death tax entirely, I hope we can all at least agree that the value of this important benefit should never again be eaten away by inflation. The time to act is now. I would urge all of my colleagues to cosponsor The Death Tax Inflation Adjustment Act.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, today is day number 63 of the latest hostage crisis. It is a hostage crisis that is not getting much attention in the mainstream media, but it has grave implications for current and future retirees nonetheless. Since April 21 of this year, Democrats in the other body have blocked a Herger lockbox proposal, refusing to allow it to even come to a vote. What is being held hostage is legislation to create a Social Security lockbox; in other words, legislation to create a safe deposit box that would put an end to the time-honored practice in Washington of raiding the Social Security Trust Fund whenever politicians want to expand government. Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed Social Security lockbox legislation. We want to protect the Social Security Trust Fund from further raids. The other side is adamantly against it. Once we get into the habit of raiding a cookie jar, it is awfully tough to quit. It is time to end the hostage crisis and free the Social Security lockbox and protect seniors from more raids on the Social Security Trust Fund.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is not a gimmick. I guess the question is, why have we not done something before? Is this going to solve the whole problem? No. But at least it is a beginning. It is a first step. I also have a picture I just pulled out of my eight children, I care about them, one grandchild. This is really for those who are coming after us as well as those who are seniors today. We have to begin sometime. Why not now? Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), my good friend on the Committee on the Budget.

Mr. HERGER

Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), my Democrat friend. In his statements, he was mentioning that this legislation is not tough enough to defend Social Security. I would like to see it tougher. The legislation that we were originally writing was tougher; but, guess what? We have legislation that is tougher in the Senate, and guess who is opposing it? The President is opposing it. Guess who else is opposing it? The Democrats in the Senate are opposing it. They say it is too tough. They say it goes too far. They said, in case of an emergency, we do not have enough elbow room, if you will. So we have worked with the committees involved, with the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Budget, both of which I serve on, the Committee on Rules, to try to come up with some legislation that we can get the support of from our friends on the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, and with the President, to try to at least get something out there which is better than nothing. So I would like to respond to my friend, if he would like it tougher, I would love to get it tougher; but if he could, could he perhaps get some support from your Democrat colleagues in the Senate as well as our Democrat President?