On the recordNovember 17, 2011
I've had the honor of serving in both the Army and the Marine Corps, five overseas deployments, two of them in combat. What has really struck me since I've been in the Congress of the United States and had the honor, as well, to serve on the Armed Services Committee is testimony by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who said the greatest threat to the United States is our national debt. He didn't say it was al Qaeda. He didn't say it was some foreign power of terrorists. He said the greatest threat to the United States is right here. The greatest threat to the United States are the decades of out-of-control spending by the Congress of the United States that is bringing down this country. We have an opportunity today to change that. We have an opportunity today to put the discipline in place that we are not going to go down the path of Greece. I would ask the Members of this body to show the same courage and determination that the young men and women show who serve our country in defense of our freedom every day, to do the right thing and to vote for a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution. If not now, when? Let us vote for this. Let us put this country down the right track. And let us not be the greatest threat to the United States.
