Robert Pittenger: “I thank my good friend from Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in previous generations, serving as a Member of Congress was…”

“I thank my good friend from Indiana. Mr. Speaker, in previous generations, serving as a Member of Congress was considered an honorable profession. Congressmen were held in high esteem and examples of true leadership. They were honored in books like ``Profiles in Courage.'' Sadly, we seem to have lost our way. Last week, Public Policy Polling found that only 9 percent of Americans approve of the job that Congress is doing. In my opinion, the reason no one approves of the job we're doing is that we're not doing our job. Our Nation is in peril. We are threatened, not by a foreign tyrant, but by our own reckless spending. Just today, the Fitch Ratings agency warned that our AAA credit rating is at risk. We are on the verge of squandering everything that we have received from previous generations. Sadly, we are more likely to leave the next generation with crushing debt than we are to pass along the America we love. My fellow Representatives, may I make a suggestion? Starting with the 113th Congress, the buck stops here. For too many years, Congress and the President have received an A in addition, but they seem to have always flunked subtraction. We must commit to bringing spending in line with revenue, to setting priorities and learning to say ``no.'' If we are to be the Congress which takes to say ``no.'' If we are to be the Congress which takes substantive action on deficit reduction, we must start with entitlements.…”