Dan Coats: “I have been coming to the Senate floor just about every day that we have been in session so far this year, and I am…”

“I have been coming to the Senate floor just about every day that we have been in session so far this year, and I am going to continue to do so to talk about what I believe is our most pressing crisis that this body faces and that our country faces; that is, the uncontrolled runaway Federal spending and accumulated debt and how it is dragging our economy down and how it threatens to provoke a major economic disaster if it is not addressed. In previous remarks I have made on this floor, I tried to make the point that if we fail to get Federal spending under control in the short term, our economy will continue to remain in the doldrums because of this cloud of economic uncertainty that hangs over investors, businesspeople, and consumers. But I don't want my colleagues to just take my word for it. A host of experts, commentators, businesspeople, and investors around the country--and, frankly, around the world-- people from both sides of the political spectrum have been and will continue to make this same point. The message is this: Unless Washington stops punting this problem and begins to demonstrate the will to cut spending in serious ways to reduce our long-term debt, the economy will continue to limp along; investors will continue to remain on the sidelines; business owners will continue not to hire new employees; and, we will hasten the day when investors lose confidence in the United States as a worthy credit risk.…”