Speech #1050081830

We have always been a nation that has looked ahead with great hope and the belief that the future is ours to shape. and I think we can subscribe to that notion today more than ever before. I am proud of the work this Congress has done since we Republicans took control of this Institution in 1994. The American people wanted real change and we have done what we can to try to provide that change and a real difference in the way this Congress is operated. looking forward. moving this country ahead. whether it was the institutional reforms we put In place on the opening day. whether it was welfare reform or immigration reform. the Freedom to Farm Act. and so many other pieces of legislation. In the last Congress and in this Congress legislation has addressed important issues that for so long had been pushed aside and not really taken to fruition. to move those issues forward and solve these problems. whether it trying to address the problems of a Medicare system that was in financial failure. we have now passed legislation to extend the life of the Medicare system that saved the lives of my parents. whether or not it was for many years setting aside the issue of tax relief for working families. this Congress this summer moved forward with an important step forward in providing tax relief in the form of a $500 per child tax credit. and death tax and capital gains tax relief. But certainly one of the most important and historic things we have done is focus our attention on the effort to balance our Nations budget.