I would like to thank you for that very kind statement, and I look forward to finding common ground on things we can agree on and work to help the economy and growth of this great Nation, and I hope you can help and support the funding of…

I would simply point out that when S&P downgraded our debt, they were so well respected that the interest rates went down and the price of our bonds went up. So much for S&P. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind).

How much time does each side have remaining? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 31 minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Virginia has 40 minutes remaining.

I would point out that families are able to borrow to pay for the car and to pay for the mortgage. Under this amendment the Federal Government would never be able to borrow. It's quite different. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the…

Social Security and Medicare will be there unless we pass this balanced budget amendment because this balanced budget amendment will cause the inability to pay for them. The trust fund is amply funded right now for Social Security. I…

I now yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson).

Since the gentleman has admitted that the balanced budget amendment would not deliver the pennant to the White Sox or the Red Sox or the Cubs, or, I suppose, the Yankees, there's no argument to the balanced budget amendment. I reserve the…

I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, since 1995, when this amendment was last on the floor, we proved we could balance the budget without a balanced budget amendment. But a balanced budget is not the highest goal. The…

I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

I yield myself an additional 30 seconds. The CBO estimated, before President Obama took office, that the next year's deficit would be $1.2 trillion before he did anything. And I would remind us that nondefense discretionary spending in…

I am proud to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

I would point out that if this amendment passed, we would never be able to borrow money to do the infrastructure that we need. I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

How much time remains, please? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 36\3/4\ minutes, and the gentleman from Texas has 1 hour and 4\1/2\ minutes.

How much time do we have, please? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 29 minutes. The gentleman from Virginia has 51 minutes.

Either we will have the discipline to do what we have to or this amendment simply puts those decisions in the hands of a Federal judge, which we don't want to see, I don't think. I reserve the balance of my time.

How much time remains on each side? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 29 minutes. The gentleman from Virginia has 31\1/2\ minutes.

I would point out that the 49 States borrow for capital budgets. They have balanced budget amendments for operating budgets. This makes no distinction and would not let us borrow ever. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

It is now my privilege to yield 4 minutes to a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal).