We cannot let deficits act as if they are free money when we do spending increases and tax cuts.

Right now we are in the midst of a growing fiscal crisis, and it is crucially important that we have an honest conversation about the challenges we face.

The only thing worse than being for this is being against it.

We can put together a credible, responsible, realistic bipartisan budget plan, and this year we need to finish the job.

the budget problem that presents us with, instead of having several hundred billion dollars a year coming in from Social Security that we could send somewhere else, those days are over.

I did not support the tax deal at the end of last year. That was a big number in the wrong direction.

the biggest threat to our national security is our national debt.

The American people expect fact-based budgeting that produces more energy, not locking it up.

I hope history will record the same for your leadership.

The actions of this administration are making things worse.

if we are going to take on this issue, it is going to require dramatic cuts in Government spending, but it is also going to require meaningful tax reform.

I find the share of the pie that is devoted toward international development assistance to be a little bit too modest.

We have to move toward a cash-based system.

I applaud the President for those proposals. I wish there had been even more.

we saw a fundamental threat to the economic and national security interests of the United States if we failed to act.

I think it is very important time.

You have to adopt a plan. You have to put it in place.

A failure to act within that period of time could lead to much more serious consequences.