Marco Rubio: “Fifty-three sounded like too much, even for a Senator. I briefly wish to use the second half of my time to talk about…”

“Fifty-three sounded like too much, even for a Senator. I briefly wish to use the second half of my time to talk about the issue of the day and that is the issue that is being discussed here in town about the debt--an important issue. It is happening at a time when many Americans from all across the country are traveling here on their vacations to show their children and their families how government works--or maybe in the case of this issue, how government does not work--in any event, how our Republic is trying to work its way through this issue, an important one. I know that a few moments ago there was a meeting at the White House that concluded, and we wait with great anticipation--I see my colleague, the Senator from Illinois, has arrived and perhaps he will update us here on the floor in a few moments. But we are all interested in this issue because it goes well beyond partisanship or party politics; it is about the future of our country. I think there is growing consensus on some of the outlines of what it will take to solve this issue. I think it will take two things, because I have heard this terminology we use about a balanced approach. It will take two things. First, it will take reductions in spending and it will take cuts, but we cannot simply cut our way out of this process. We must also grow our way out of this process. My point is there is no way we can simply reduce spending enough to get America out of the predicament it is facing.…”