On the recordJune 3, 2015
I respect the gentleman's presentation, but I think we ought to put it in full context. We do have an across-the- board cut. It is a huge cut. It is called sequestration. Although Admiral Mullen did admonish the Congress for the fact that we were running a deficit and it was a threat to our national security, he also opposed sequestration, across-the-board cuts. I think the problem is--and this bill certainly is an across-the- board cut from what we used to spend, with the exception of the protection of one program, but I oppose this. We are on the Committee on Appropriations. We try to go through these things with a fine-tooth comb to figure out how to adjust the spending of the United States of America. The worst thing you can do is just do an across-the-board cut because that harms good programs, and you aren't necessarily cutting enough to really make a big dent in the national debt. Frankly, the spending of America has come down quite dramatically, and the economy has improved, and our national debt is, in the recent years, at an all-time low. I think, frankly, we in Congress talk about this debt but don't put it into context. I like to put it in the context that I talk to my constituents about that what we have at the national level, just like you have at the local level and your own personal life, you have sort of two debts.…
