That is a self-inflicted wound. That is a wound that this country cannot afford.

It is about math.

the hole we will have to dig ourselves out of will be that much deeper.

We have got to act now to kick our economy into higher gear, to put more Americans back to work.

I have never heard that offer until this moment, Mr. Chairman, ever.

What you are saying is that default on any obligation would send a very bad signal?

our view is that your tax plan does exactly that, because you say you are going to get the top rate down to 25 percent...

we think that we need to have a balanced approach because if you do it only by cutting on the health care side, you are going to be asking Medicare beneficiaries...to take a big hit

That is an unnecessary self-inflicted wound.

I would just, again, ask that the majority in this House allow us a simple vote on our plan to replace the sequester to save over 600,000 jobs.

That's a self-inflicted wound. That's a wound that this country cannot afford.

That is irresponsible.

The responsible way to do it is the way the law prescribes.

that is irresponsible and reckless given the impact that not paying our bills would have on the economy.

we're focused on something very different than solving this long-term challenge.

we're on an unsustainable path with respect to the debt.

We should adopt the kind of frameworks recommended by every bipartisan group that has looked at this issue in recent times.

We know that with real reforms we can not only pay down the debt--we can help grow the economy and put people back to work.