Political Quotes

“I thank the Chair. Mr. President, we are in the midst of a defining debate on the budget of the United States. All of us understand we have a debt threat looming over this country that is as significant as anything we have faced in many years. Democratic members of the Senate Budget Committee have worked for weeks to devise a blueprint we think has merit and that deserves to be a part of the debate. Today, I am here to outline the key elements of that budget blueprint. First of all, I think it is critically important we all understand we are as a Nation borrowing 40 cents of every $1 we spend. That is not a sustainable circumstance. Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has indicated that our national debt is our biggest national security threat. This is the top military man in our country saying the debt threat is the most serious national security threat. Why does he say that? Here are the facts: The debt of the United States--the gross debt--all the debt we owe is now approaching 100 percent of our gross domestic product, which is the highest level it has been since after World War II. This chart shows a threshold of 90 percent and a gross debt of 90 percent. Why did we draw that line on this chart? Because the best evidence we have tells us when we cross the 90-percent threshold on the gross debt of any nation, we are in the danger zone, we are in the red zone.…”