Political Quotes

“I rise to support the sense-of-the-Senate resolution offered by Senators Mark Warner and Saxby Chambliss that our Nation's spending and debt levels are on an unsustainable course. In the short term, the economy needs the additional boost that this tax compromise will provide. In the long term, however, our nation must return to a sustainable fiscal path in order for our economy to work effectively. The U.S. economy is still struggling to recover from the worst economic depression in eighty years. Unemployment remains stubbornly high at 9.8 percent, private sector job growth is anemic, and GDP growth is weak. The Federal budget deficit is projected to exceed $1 trillion for the third year in a row, our national debt is $13.8 trillion and rising, and our debt held by foreign countries already exceeds $4 trillion. The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has reported a credible proposal to significantly reduce the growth of the national debt and restore long-term fiscal responsibility. I believe that a comprehensive plan to reduce the debt over the long term and restore fiscal responsibility must be developed next year.”