On the recordJuly 30, 2011
we are in the midst of a debt crisis, I think some of it created by the President because he has refused to take off the table the fact we would default on our debt. I think that is irresponsible, and without a doubt the President should come forward and say he will pay the interest on the debt. On our side we have been willing to compromise all along. We have been offering plans. We passed two plans in the House. Now we have a plan before us, a Democratic plan, to raise the debt ceiling, and there are some of us who would vote for this Democratic plan who might require some amendments or some compromise. There would have to be some input from our side. Yet even though this bill was introduced yesterday and Republicans said they would vote for it, the Democrats are now filibustering their own bill. What is funny is, they filibuster their own bill and then point fingers and say we are trying to stop things. We are here today to try to move things forward. In the spirit of trying to reach a compromise before the deadline comes, I would ask unanimous consent that the vote on the pending cloture motion occur immediately or as soon as possible, 5 p.m. today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
