mr. speaker , it is a great day in our great nation , and it is an honor to be here to begin the debate about the fiscal blueprint for our nation , the priorities of our nation . 
house resolution 154 is a structured rule that provides for consideration of house concurrent resolution 95 , establishing the congressional budget for the united states government for fiscal year 2006 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2007 through 2010 . 
mr. speaker , as a member of both the committee on rules and the committee on the budget , i am pleased to bring this resolution to the floor for its consideration . 
this rule provides for 5 hours of general debate with 4 hours equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the committee on the budget , and 1 hour on the subject of economic goals and policies equally divided and controlled by the gentleman of new jersey ( mr. saxton ) xz4003590 and the gentlewoman from new york ( mrs. maloney ) xz4002510 or their designees . 
the rule waives all points of order against consideration of the concurrent resolution . 
this rule makes in order four amendments which are printed in the committee on rules report accompanying the resolution . 
each is debatable for 40 minutes , the time equally divided and controlled by the proponent and the opponent . 
the rule waives all points of order against the amendments printed in the report , except that the adoption of the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall constitute the conclusion of consideration of the concurrent resolution for amendment . 
it also permits the chairman of the committee on the budget to offer amendments in the house to achieve mathematical consistency . 
this is a fair rule . 
the committee on rules has allowed substitute budgets to be considered on the house floor . 
they range across the political spectrum affording members of varying philosophies within each political party and across political parties an opportunity to support the budget they deem appropriate for our nation . 
since before my time in this body , the committee on rules has consistently afforded the minority the opportunity for its alternative to be heard , with the only exception being the fiscal year 2003 budget when there was not a budget alternative offered . 
i am pleased this rule provides a chance for all our members to express their views on how our nation should prioritize its spending . 
the congressional budget is an important tool of the congress , allowing us to set priorities for the coming fiscal year . 
therefore , this budget provides for america 's most urgent needs . 
the driving forces behind this budget are continued strength , continued growth , and restrained spending . 
the congressional budget is the ultimate enforcement tool , allowing congress to clearly identify its priorities for how taxpayer dollars should be spent . 
it allows us in a time of war to ensure that our nation 's soldiers are sufficiently equipped . 
prioritizing guarantees that our economy continues to expand , providing jobs and opportunities for more americans each and every day . 
finally , this tool allows us to make certain that our government acts in a fiscally responsible manner to ensure opportunities and safety for future generations of americans . 
this budget ensures that our nation remains strong in the face of terror . 
we continue the multiyear plan to enable the military to fight the war on terrorism now and to transform itself to counter unconventional threats in the future . 
this budget works to prevent attacks , reduce vulnerabilities , and improve readiness . 
continued economic growth is vital for our nation to fund her priorities and give opportunity to her people . 
today , the general consensus of both private and public forecasters is that the u.s. economy is in a sustained expansion with solid growth of real gdp and payroll jobs and with low unemployment and low inflation . 
the speed and strength of the economic recovery of the last several years has been due in large part to the tax relief packages given to the american people along with the extension of that tax relief passed last year . 
these policies continue to promote sustained economic growth and job creation . 
i am proud to be a member of the committee on the budget that this year reported out a historic budget that sets in motion a glidepath to cut the deficit in half both in dollars and as a percentage of gross domestic product in 5 years . 
this budget wisely targets both discretionary and mandatory spending in an effort to set priorities . 
the committee on the budget calls for a reduction in total nondefense , nonhomeland security discretionary spending . 
and for the first time since 1997 , the budget includes reconciliation instructions to authorizing committees calling for the slowed growth of mandatory programs . 
mandatory spending is the guaranteed spending that grows each and every year , mostly without reform or review . 
it currently consumes 55 percent of the budget ; and if it continues unchecked , it will reach 61 percent of the budget by 2015 . 
more than half of the government 's spending today is on automatic pilot . 
this is neither sound policy nor sustainable fiscal policy . 
congress is on its way to losing control over spending priorities as entitlements squeeze the budget more and more . 
reconciliation instructions are the critical step to begin the process of getting our mandatory spending back to a sustainable level . 
i am hopeful that while the authorizing committees are reviewing their programs they may also conclude that many of these mandatory programs would be better suited as discretionary and , therefore , subject to greater oversight by the congress . 
i am proud of the work the committee on the budget has put forward this year . 
i thank the gentleman from iowa ( chairman nussle ) , the chairman of that committee , for pushing forward with fiscal discipline and bringing us this outstanding budget for consideration . 
i urge members to support the rule and the underlying bill . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
