Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, for too many years our leaders have irresponsibly put off the tough decisions necessary to place our country on sound financial footing. President Obama seems to not be focused on the problem, as he never even mentioned our nearly $17 trillion debt during his inaugural address and State of the Union speech.

Yet Peter Orszag, former Budget Director for President Obama, recently told a bipartisan group of freshman Representatives:

Unless you deal with the debt, you're playing games with

our economic future. Unless you find savings with

entitlements, you're playing games with the debt. You better

go fix it.

American taxpayers deserve and expect an accountable government, not a bloated bureaucracy in need of credit counseling. Each passing year makes the decision more difficult and the changes more painful. Medicare will be insolvent by 2024, which means we are rapidly squandering any chance to fix the problem.

Our $17 trillion debt, which currently results in $220 billion in annual interest payments, is a drag on our economy, deterring our ability to create jobs for American families. Reforming entitlements must be done to help our economy grow today and provide for the future.

Any plan to reform entitlements must preserve the current benefits promised to this generation while providing guaranteed options for future generations; however, we must be strong and take action. We must enact a responsible plan to preserve these important safety nets for future generations; for if we do nothing, we will watch as American families suffer even more after Medicare and Social Security collapse while our Nation faces economic collapse.

North Carolina's Ninth District is blessed with many wonderful, hardworking educators. Today, I'd like to introduce you to one of them, Dr. Mark Edwards, who was recently named National Superintendent of the Year. Since becoming superintendent of the Mooresville Graded School District in 2007, end-of-grade test scores have soared to the second highest in all of North Carolina, the graduation rate is now the third highest in the State, and Mooresville has become a nationally recognized model for integrating technology into the classroom.

These achievements are even more impressive when you consider that Mooresville has one of the smallest budgets out of the 115 school directs in North Carolina.

Dr. Edwards' work should be a reminder that strong leadership, dedicated teachers, and proactive community involvement are the most important factors in the success of our students, not Washington bureaucrats or programs.

Dr. Edwards, on behalf of the people of North Carolina's Ninth District, congratulations on your national award. May God continue to bless you and your work in Mooresville.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall votes Nos. 48-50, I am not recorded because I was absent from the U.S. House of Representatives. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner.

On rollcall No. 48. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

On rollcall No. 49. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall No. 50. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

I thank my good friend from Indiana.

Mr. Speaker, in previous generations, serving as a Member of Congress was considered an honorable profession. Congressmen were held in high esteem and examples of true leadership. They were honored in books like ``Profiles in Courage.'' Sadly, we seem to have lost our way. Last week, Public Policy Polling found that only 9 percent of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing. In my opinion, the reason no one approves of the job we're doing is that we're not doing our job.

Our Nation is in peril. We are threatened, not by a foreign tyrant, but by our own reckless spending. Just today, the Fitch Ratings agency warned that our AAA credit rating is at risk. We are on the verge of squandering everything that we have received from previous generations. Sadly, we are more likely to leave the next generation with crushing debt than we are to pass along the America we love.

My fellow Representatives, may I make a suggestion? Starting with the 113th Congress, the buck stops here. For too many years, Congress and the President have received an A in addition, but they seem to have always flunked subtraction. We must commit to bringing spending in line with revenue, to setting priorities and learning to say ``no.'' If we are to be the Congress which takes to say ``no.'' If we are to be the Congress which takes substantive action on deficit reduction, we must start with entitlements. It's the topic everyone is afraid to address, but weren't we elected to show true leadership?

Today the Fitch Ratings agency warned that our Nation's AAA credit rating is at risk if an increase in the debt ceiling doesn't also include a credible plan for deficit reduction. The Government Accountability Office has reported that government spending is on an unsustainable long-term fiscal path, with entitlements the primary culprit. The Congressional Budget Office reports that, left unchecked, the Federal entitlement programs will soon swamp the entire budget. Will entitlement reform be messy? Yes. Is it necessary? Yes. In fact, it's the only way to bring a lasting solution to our Nation's fiscal problems.

Any plan to reform entitlements must protect the benefits promised to the current generation. But as we look to the future, we need serious reforms that will reduce spending while preserving these important safety nets for future generations.

In 2006, then-Senator Obama said:

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's

debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.

Yet, under President Obama, we've seen record-setting deficit spending and trillions added to our national debt. The leadership failure lies with the President and others in Congress who have been unable to say ``no.''

Our objective is not arbitrary. Tax revenues are expected to remain right at the historical average of around 18 percent of the GDP. We know how much money we'll make. Now we need to sit down at the kitchen table with a calculator and figure out how to live within our means.

``The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice President, shall be the Vice President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the United States.''