On the recordFebruary 27, 2013
As a freshman here on the House floor just 2 years ago, it does my heart good to see my freshman colleagues coming down from the other side of the aisle, because I came down with that same vision 2 years ago to work together to address the big issues that are out there. I serve on the Budget Committee, Mr. Speaker, and for fiscal year 2013, we're going to post a $1 trillion annual deficit. This sequester that every Member is rightly concerned about is $85 billion, less than one-tenth the magnitude of the decisions we really need to make to get America back on fiscal track. Is the sequester anybody's idea of the right way to do it? I don't believe that it is. Is everyone's idea of the right way to do it to deal with that part of the budget that we don't do in discretionary spending? The big two- thirds, that mandatory spending that we have to come together on to deal with? And the answer is absolutely, yes. I stand ready to work with my freshman colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do those big things that need to be done. But Mr. Speaker, we have raised taxes already in 2013. The CBO reports that an additional $1 trillion will come into the Treasury over the next 10 years. What we need is not more taxes. What we need are responsible spending cuts, Mr. Speaker. ____________________
