Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,834,918,581,977.03.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $3,196,492,835,638.20 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,860,773,759,018.43.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $3,222,348,012,724.60 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,794,243,004,364.88.

On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $3,155,817,258,071.00 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,795,134,710,938.40.

On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $3,156,708,964,644.60 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,721,979,465,685.30.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $3,083,553,719,391.50 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,468,173,874,830.08.

On January 6, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,829,748,128,536.28 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,472,761,083,757.88.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,834,335,337,464.00 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,471,094,170,316.20.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,832,668,424,022.40 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, United States Army Captain Dale A. Goetz, an Air Force veteran with ties to Colorado, joined the Army's chaplaincy out of a strong desire to help others.

Captain Dale Goetz and his wife, Christy, both graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 1995. He was a former pastor of First Baptist Church in White, South Dakota, before being stationed at military bases throughout the world. Earlier this year, Captain Goetz was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, and the family moved to Colorado Springs in January of 2010. This allowed his wife Christy, and their sons Landon, Caleb, and Joel to be closer to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County commissioner.

Captain Goetz and his family joined High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs the day before he deployed to Afghanistan. Captain Goetz, who had previously served in Iraq, cared about the soldiers he worked with as an Army chaplain, and according to his pastor at High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, ``His goal as a chaplain was not to be a social worker, but to be a spiritual guide.''

Captain Goetz is described as having ``a calm demeanor that helped soldiers find strength in the darkest of times,'' according to Reverend Stuart Schwenke, a fellow pastor he had gone through ministerial training with.

On August 30, 2010, Captain Goetz was on a mission in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device which detonated near their military vehicle. Captain Goetz was gravely wounded and died of injuries sustained during the attack. Four of his fellow soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, were also killed in action as a result of the incident.

Captain Dale A. Goetz is a shining example of the United States Army's service and sacrifice. As a former member of the United States Army, and a retired Marine Corps combat veteran, my deepest sympathies go out to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County commissioner; his wife Christy; their sons, Landon, Caleb, and Joel; and his sisters, Ann Senetar and Kim Sumner.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,476,661,616,652.10.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,838,235,870,358.30 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,440,225,498,627.42.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,801,799,752,333.60 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

Madam Speaker, one of the most unpleasant adjustments a former small businessman or former State legislator--and I am both--faces in coming to DC is the unlimited ability of the Federal Government to deficit spend. We all know that small businesses have to balance the books, or they go out of business. At least, that was true before the bailout culture took hold here in DC. And unlike the spendthrift ways prevalent in this building, State governments generally have to balance their budgets.

Currently, at least 24 States, and nearly three fourths of a million workers, are undertaking a budget-cutting maneuver that I believe we should consider at the Federal level: short term employee furloughs. These States, across the Nation, along with city and county government counterparts, recognize that occasional worker furloughs are necessary to cut budgets and hold down spending. It also has the benefit of ensuring that Federal workers are not sheltered from the realities of life in today's economy.

The Federal Government continues to grow, and continues to rack up debt. I would like to make the U.S. Government as cost conscious as the States. My legislation is a start. It will make Federal civilian employees subject to a non-consecutive two-week furlough next year, correspondingly reduce appropriations for salaries and expenses for offices of the legislative branch, and provide a 10 percent reduction in pay for Members of Congress. An exception is provided for national security or reasons relating to the public health or safety, including effective law enforcement. This bill will save the Federal Government over $5.5 billion.

Furlough Fridays are becoming a common occurrence for State and local governments. They present slight problems but they provide large solutions to the budget troubles we face. I believe that managed appropriately, with due allowance for vital and national security implications, as specified in this bill, they can do the same for the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, United States Army Captain Dale A. Goetz, an Air Force veteran with ties to Colorado, joined the Army's chaplaincy out of a strong desire to help others.

Captain Dale Goetz and his wife Christy both graduated from Maranatha Baptist Bible College in 1995. He was a former pastor of First Baptist Church in White, South Dakota before being stationed at military bases throughout the world.

Earlier this year, Captain Goetz was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, and the family moved to Colorado Springs in January of 2010. This allowed his wife Christy and their sons Landon, Caleb and Joel to be closer to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County commissioner.

Captain Goetz and his family joined High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs the day before he deployed to Afghanistan. Captain Goetz, who had previously served in Iraq, cared about the soldiers he worked with as an Army chaplain, and according to his pastor at High Country Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, his goal as a chaplain was not to be a social worker but to be a spiritual guide. Captain Goetz is described as having ``a calm demeanor that helped soldiers find strength in the darkest of times,'' according to Reverend Stuart Schwenke, a fellow pastor he had gone through ministerial training with.

On August 30, 2010, Captain Goetz was on a mission in Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device which detonated near their military vehicle.

Captain Goetz was gravely wounded and died of injuries sustained during the attack. Four of his fellow soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado, were also killed in action as a result of the incident.

Captain Dale A. Goetz is a shining example of the United States Army's service and sacrifice. As a former member of the United States Army and a retired Marine Corps combat veteran, my deepest sympathies go out to his mother, Hope Goetz, an Elbert County

Commissioner; his wife, Christy; their sons, Landon, Caleb, and Joel; and his sisters, Ann Senetar and Kim Sumner.

Madam Speaker, today our national debt is $13,443,442,988,893.40.

On January 6th, 2009, the start of the 111th Congress, the national debt was $10,638,425,746,293.80.

This means the national debt has increased by $2,805,017,242,599.60 so far this Congress.

This debt and its interest payments we are passing to our children and all future Americans.

United States Marine Corporal Max W. Donahue enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2006 from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and had served two previous combat tours in Iraq before deploying to Afghanistan.

Corporal Donahue was a military policeman assigned as a working dog handler with the First Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.

Before he was deployed to Afghanistan, Corporal Donahue explained to his mother why he wanted to go there. ``There's not a lot of guys who can do what I can do, and my buddies need me there,'' recounted his mother, Julie Schrock.

On August 4, Corporal Donahue was on a mission in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, with his German shepherd, Fenji, when he was gravely wounded by

an improvised explosive device and tragically succumbed to his wounds on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

Corporal Max W. Donahue was a shining example of United States Marine Corps service and sacrifice. As a retired Marine Corps combat veteran, my deepest sympathies go out to his family, his fellow Marines, and all who knew him.