Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,099,497,460,357.58. We've added $10,298,092,285,063.30 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,098,098,486,788.82. We've added $10,296,693,311,494.54 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing two more pieces of legislation to curb the benefits currently available to Members of Congress.

The first ends the automatic pay increase privilege for Members of Congress. In 1989, Congress established the current formula for automatic annual salary adjustments under the Ethics Reform Act. The formula is based on the Employment Cost Index which tracks changes in private sector wages and salaries. Unless Congress passes a law blocking it, the adjustment goes into effect automatically.

The current system is set up to allow Members of Congress to receive pay raises without having to cast recorded votes for them and that is just wrong. Requiring recorded votes on pay increases will not only make the actions of Congress more transparent but it is another step that will make Congress more accountable to the citizens who elect them.

Another benefit available to Members is lifetime eligibility for service in Congress. A lifetime of service in Congress is, I believe, far too insulating and privileged to assure us that our Representatives are firmly empathetic to and aligned with the needs of the American people. But given the significance of seniority in Congress, States that encourage their members to pledge to limit their terms voluntarily are at a disadvantage with States that

don't. I believe that the solution is to make term limits mandatory by passing a constitutional amendment that would limit the terms of Members of Congress so that everyone will be subject to the same requirement. I am introducing a proposal to do this, and limit House and Senate Member terms to 12 years.

These bills are the latest proposals of my ongoing efforts to reform Congress. In addition to chairing the Congressional Balanced Budget Amendment Caucus, and so working to take away the unlimited ability of Congress to borrow money, I introduced House Resolution 270 in January, which would cut Congressional pay by 10 percent as well as reduce Congressional office budgets. In September, I introduced House Resolution 2913, which would terminate the pension plan available to members of Congress. All of my reforms are about changing the culture of Washington, D.C. to make government work for the American people.

I urge the passage of these bills.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,051,286,197,149.79. We've added $10,249,881,021,855.51 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,060,274,082,298.88. We've added $10,258,868,907,004.60 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,054,018,277,569.01. We've added $10,252,613,102,274.73 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,052,444,423,722.81. We've added $10,251,039,248,428.53 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132 the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,046,397,725,405.16. We've added $10,244,992,550,110.88 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,071,624,794,970.66. We've added $10,270,219,619,676.38 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,068,133,903,969.13. We've added $10,266,728,728,674.85 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,073,380,701,589.57. We've added $10,271,975,526,295.29 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,088,441,787,407.62. We've added $10,287,036,612,113.34 dollars to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,110,498,560,876.77. We've added $10,309,093,385,852.49 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

The Obama administration is currently choking the lifeblood out of our Nation's middle class, small businesses, and entrepreneurs through excessive regulation. According to the Small Business Administration, regulations cost the American economy $1.75 trillion annually.

The Obama administration has issued 200 such regulations that are expected to cost our economy at least $100 million each, and seven of these regulations have a pricetag of over $1 billion.

The President has long touted the job creation of his so-called stimulus. But every $1 million increase in the Federal regulatory budget costs 420 private sector jobs for hardworking Americans. This is why I am urging passage of House Resolution 527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011. This legislation will give real teeth to the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, which mandated that Federal agencies first assess the economic impact of their regulations on small businesses before going forward with them. It is time to put small businesses first.

Mr. Speaker, on January 26, 1995, when the last attempt at a balanced budget amendment passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 300-132, the national debt was $4,801,405,175,294.28.

Today, it is $15,054,163,621,371.29. We've added $10,252,758,446,077.01 to our debt in 16 years. This is $10 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.