Jack Kingston

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the balanced budget amendment is not truly dead, but it is in the hospice care unit across the hall. In the House about 130 Democrats voted against it, 2 Republicans. In the Senate, 33 Democrats and 1 Republican voted against it, so apparently, I know the Democrats had some heartburn with the concept of a balanced budget amendment. One of the big reasons that they gave, particularly in the Senate, was monkeying with the Constitution. Apparently, not monkeying with the Constitution is more important than not letting the country go bankrupt. Obviously, interpretation of the Constitution and its sacredness is relative to proximity to reelection. I would say that so many times, if you watch the Senators speaking, they flip-flop back and forth more than an old Patsy Cline record on the jukebox. First, they said, the Constitution: ``I'm not going to vote for a balanced budget amendment because of the Constitution.'' Then, they said ``Give us your specifics, Republicans. You want to balance the budget by the year 2002, give us the specifics.'' Last week, the Committee on Appropriations gave $17 billion in specific cuts, very difficult cuts, heart-wrenching in many cases, painful, many times politically risky, politically unwise. Members had programs in their own districts that were reduced, at a time when there is a lot of screaming and crying back home to keep these programs. What the Republican Party has had to do is say ``Look, we are on a sinking boat. We are asking everybody to throw out a little bit of your own luggage, but we think if you do that, we can get the boat ashore. We can guarantee you if you won't let go of your luggage, we are going down.'' At a $4.5 trillion debt, and an item on our budget called interest on the national debt, which is the third largest expenditure in the national budget, $20 billion a month, we are going bankrupt. Yet, Mr. Chairman, we hear time and time again, as we did earlier tonight from the gentleman from Missouri, ``We are not doing things for the children.'' Back home, Mr. Speaker, it reminds me of when I was a kid. My daddy had a charge account at a pharmacy. down there and get myself a 25-cent Coke and charge it to my dad, just write his signature, and I didn't have to reach in old Jack's pocket, because I just had to sign my dad's name. Then at the end of the month my dad would see a 25-cent charge for Coca-Colas and he would have some stern words for me, but he would also get his 25 cents back. We have got an opposite case going on in the U.S. Congress, particularly on the Democrat side, particularly on those who will not give it a rest on the school lunch program. They would prefer misinterpretation of reality to reality. Mr. Speaker, what they are saying is ``Go ahead and charge it, not to your dad, charge it to your son and your grandson and your daughter and your granddaughter. Years from now, when your children's children come to pay the bill, you will be dead and you will not have to worry about their debt.'' That is what we are doing. We talk about doing things for children. How about not saddling them when they get out of school, when they get out into the work world, how about not saddling them right off the bat with a huge, tremendous debt? That is what we are doing. It is kind of like saying, you know, people want ice cream for today. It might not be in their best interests to eat ice cream three meals a day. Let us kind of cut back a little bit, and maybe there will be enough tomorrow, but we have to take some meat and vegetables now. It is very important to do it. We had $17 billion in specific cuts. To my knowledge, not one Democrat voted for any of them. They grandstanded about how harsh all of them were. I understand that, that is fair game. I would say the Republican Party has done it to the Democrats many times themselves. However, the fact is we are taking away one of their arguments for voting against the balanced budget amendment, Mr. Speaker. We are giving specific cuts. Now, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, in the spirit of preservation of America, in the spirit of the best interests of the taxpayers, I challenge the Democrat party, give us your cuts. You do not like ours. That does not change the fact that we have a $4.5 trillion debt. That does not change the fact that we are paying $20 billion a month in interest. That does not change the fact that the third largest expenditure on our national budget each year is interest. So give us your specifics. We need to hear from you. I think if the Democrat Party would go ahead and decide to jump in the water with us, that maybe we could take the best of their ideas with the best of the Republican ideas and do what is best for the United States of America, so that our children and our children's children will not be saddled with such a huge and tremendous debt and a bankrupt nation.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I am disturbed about that. Somebody is lying. Are you lying, or is the gentleman from Georgia lying? If the taxpayers of America want to have those numbers, will you be willing to send them to them? Are you going to stand behind them?

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. That is correct. What actually is happening on WIC, there is $25 million in the budget that is a carryover. They are not using that. It is money left over. It represents 2 percent. Now we got a deficit of over $200 billion. Each year we spend $200 billion more than we bring in. Under the President's recently introduced budget just 3 weeks ago that deficit goes on for 5 years and increases the debt another $1 trillion, and our national debt is about $4.8 trillion right now. So here is a 2-percent cut in a program on money that they are not using, and you would think that the sky is falling.

Mr. KINGSTON. I think the gentleman raises a good point. Let me ask you this: Balanced budget amendment, you both support it; line item veto, you both support it; strengthening America's military, and a very difficult decision on cutting the military budget some, you both support it. We are going to have a tax bill coming up today, another $17 billion cut. It will have to be probably passed on the backs of freshmen like you because we will not get any support from the more liberal Members who want to defend every program. That is going to be hard on you, because you are going to have your constituents coming up and saying don't cut this or that. Are you ready for it? Is that what you heard that your mission is from the people back home?

Mr. KINGSTON. The Democrats did have the Congress, but the Republicans had the Senate for a while and the Republicans had the White House. So I think that we can take the blame equally. Both parties are to be blamed. But the fact is if we know it is going to happen, shame on us to let it happen again. We know we are going to get increased tax revenues because of capital gains tax, because less regulations on business will create more jobs, but it will also create more revenues. Shame on us for not holding the line on spending.

Mr. KINGSTON. Let me ask you something now. I know both of you guys started out your morning at least at 9 o'clock, because that is when I saw you at your first meeting, although you probably had three more by then. Many mornings by 9 o'clock we have been to two or three different meetings. It is now 11:30 and we need to wrap it up. We have folks still waiting to talk. Was one of your surprises the long hours, how many hours you work? Speaking as newcomers, what have been your surprises? Then I think we better say good-night before we get run out of here.

Mr. KINGSTON. He ain't going to tell the truth. I got a lawyer and doctor telling me how hard they work.

Mr. KINGSTON. You prayed for me. I appreciate it.

Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentleman will yield, I can promise you nobody was watching that for an hour. They have gone on back down. We have got to win back some people.

Mr. KINGSTON. Let me ask you this. You are both freshmen, closer to the people than people that have been here a long time.

Mr. KINGSTON. If the gentleman will yield, I also found it ironic, serving on the Committee on Appropriations and the subcommittee that oversees USDA, not one of the people, not one of the speakers who was whining about some of these cuts have appeared to our committee to protest it where the work was being done. Now, there were television cameras on. I think that I have got to say that, but where the work was being done, not one of them showed up to the committee and came up with an alternative. But suddenly, you know, after the fact, they are jumping up there. I also wanted to point out to you guys, because you talked about some things, campaign promises that you made and so forth; it is interesting to note of the previous speakers, I just pulled a list of who voted for the balanced budget amendment. It just so happened that nine of the speakers over here, the last ones, and I do not remember all the speakers, not one of them voted for a balanced budget amendment, and, you now, you can say what you want, but I think that basically tells a major philosophical difference here.

Mr. KINGSTON. And the dentists have to pass on to their consumers. I know the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Chambliss] is a small businessman in Moultrie, GA, and I know, running a small business as he does down there, the Government is all over him even though he is not a Fortune 500 that I know of.

Mr. KINGSTON. I think it is important to point out that the last round of serious tax cuts took place in the early 1980's under the Reagan administration. As a result of that, 18 million new jobs were created, we had the longest peacetime prosperity that America has ever had, and revenues doubled from 1980 to 1990. Now, unfortunately, revenues were outpaced by spending.

Mr. KINGSTON. How many kids are you going to feed when you are bankrupt?

Mr. KINGSTON. Absolutely. If the gentleman would yield, and those, many of those appointees, are Clinton administration big government bureaucrats, political appointees, who are making $70,000-$80,000 a year, and your committees are cutting that out. The USDA, everybody complains about the USDA. They are one of the biggest misinformation bureaus I have ever seen on this school lunch thing. It is absolutely irresponsible what they are doing. You have got a School Lunch Program that is going to go up 4\1/2\ percent each year. It is going to cut out bureaucrats. It is going to consolidate programs. It is going to streamline the system so you can feed more hungry children. And who but the Government would complain about that?

Mr. KINGSTON. I thank the gentleman. You know, it is too bad, after listening to all the last hour, the people of America had to listen to, and I am sure no one is watching C-SPAN right now, and we cannot respond. I also will point out to the viewers back home that we had a room full of Democrats in here about 30 minutes ago, now they are all gone, now that we have some floor time to talk about some of their ridiculous and absurd bellyaching about protecting bureaucrats. All we know is that we are going to cut programs to cut out bureaucracy, and all the whining and gnashing of teeth over here to protect bureaucracies, and you know, as you listen to it, everything works. Every program is a good one, and everyone is efficient, and it is saving America, and it is doing this, it is doing that. Why, if we would just cease to exist. It is funny. Because there are thousands and thousands of programs in America, and I'll be doggoned if the Democrat side of the aisle cannot defend every single one of them. You two are new up here. You came for change. You came because of the failed promises of more government, more taxes, more regulations did not work. And is that the message? I would ask of maybe our friend from the 10th District, from the Augusta area, is that what the folks in the 10th District want, more government?

Mr. KINGSTON. You already made the statement one of your surprises was the propaganda you get, and we have to admit it comes from both sides of the aisle. Do you feel that way too, Mr. Chambliss?

Mr. KINGSTON. I think you are right, I think this is not about Newt Gingrich, it is not even about the Contract With America, or the Republican majority. It is about a change and challenge in the status quo. We, the American people, want less Government, less regulations, more personal freedom. We want a Government that works. I think that has a momentum all by itself right now. Mr. Speaker, I have enjoyed being with the gentleman.

Mr. KINGSTON. But he says, ``You know, we would not deny that it's good, but there's never been a proven case of a dentist giving somebody a disease from the hand.''

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, since the other side has obviously a coordinated effort here to really have not just a series of 5-minute special orders, but a number of them, could we please be tight on the time? Because there are folks on this side of the aisle who want to keep in the spirit of the 1 hour here and 1 hour there. I would ask perhaps without a ruling form the Chair that, and I suppose Mrs. Clayton is in charge, that you could be a little tighter on your time so we could have the chance to talk, unless you want to yield some time to us?

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Well, 2 percent of the money that is being cut from WIC represents money that the WIC program was not using.

Mr. KINGSTON. As the gentleman has spent a considerable amount of time trying to balance the budget, he knows that the WIC program in the rescission bill is cut 2 percent, and the money that was cut is money that the WIC program is not using.

Mr. KINGSTON

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, every day the Democrat Party stands up and they weep and they whine and they mourn about the Contract With America. In fact, there has been so much crying on the left side of the aisle that the EPA has had to declare it a wetlands. Because while the Republican Party is busy contracting with America, the Democrat Party is busy contracting from America. The Democrats are outraged because issues that they have ignored and oppressed for 40 years can be brought up before the American people for a vote in 100 days. It has left them without an agenda. To them welfare works. Bureaucrats and regulations are good. Deficit spending is OK because amending the Constitution to keep America alive is somehow worse than balancing the budget. Mr. Speaker, this revolution is not about Newt Gingrich. It is not about the Contract With America. It is not about the Republicans taking over Congress. It is about change and challenging the status quo. It has a momentum of its own. It is about less government, lower taxes, fewer regulations, and more personal freedom. I hope that they will join us.