James Davis: “There is one question that lingers. Where are the fiscally responsible members of the Republican House of…”

“There is one question that lingers. Where are the fiscally responsible members of the Republican House of Representatives? So many of my colleagues campaigned, as many Democrats did, on the virtues of the balanced budget and paying down the debt. The plan that has been outlined here tonight that was offered as an amendment in the Committee on the Budget by me and others addresses all the concerns that have been expressed. It gives discretion for us to spend some money on security. It allows time to get back to a balanced budget and paying down the debt. On September 11, thank God we had economic security. We had a balanced budget. We were on our way to paying down the debt. It kept us strong. It keeps us strong. We could not ignore that. We need to get back to it. The arguments my colleagues make about tax cuts would be better arguments if we did not have the debt in the trillions of dollars, over $4 trillion. The interest payment 2 years ago on that debt exceeded more than we spent on Medicare every year. Now a number of us are worried about the health of the economy. If we continue down this path without adopting the plan that has been advocated tonight, we will start to drive interest rates up again and we will really be in trouble. I urge rejection of this bill. Let us adopt the plan.”