Richard Gephardt: “I appreciate the Chairman giving me the opportunity to explain my position on this amendment and on this point of order.…”

“I appreciate the Chairman giving me the opportunity to explain my position on this amendment and on this point of order. This bill is being considered under a rule that does not include language on the full faith and credit of the United States until the Committee rises, and then the language comes into the bill at a point too late for this body to consider that language or amendments to that language. We think that it is in order and should be in order to make an amendment to that language, and we feel it so strongly because we know and believe that if that language persists in the bill, it will be used in a conference to bring about language lifting the debt ceiling, in other words, raising the debt limit for the United States, raising our credit card limit, which will come back in a conference report and be a fait accompli. This is an important moment in the economic history of this country.”