Frank Lautenberg: “we have arrived at a moment of truth: The American economy and our standing in the world hang in the balance as a result…”

“we have arrived at a moment of truth: The American economy and our standing in the world hang in the balance as a result of the Republican plan to derail the functioning of our country and bring about the precarious prospect of a major default in our financial condition. Democrats have bent over backward to compromise. Yet the Republicans continue to put our country in jeopardy. The American people and the American economy are determined for a reprieve from this disaster. We just heard comments by our colleague from across the aisle about getting our tax structure in order. It reminds me of a condition where there is a fire in a house and people start arguing about the color of the fire engine. What we have in front of us is an imminent disaster that could upset the balance of our functioning as a society and put America, for the first time, in a position of having less support from around the world; preventing people who are hard at work from being able to make ends meet. So we ask: Isn't this a time for our Republican friends to stop playing ``gotcha,'' stop putting politics ahead of the needs of our middle-class families and, instead, start putting the people before politics? Make no mistake, the people we serve are nervous and concerned. Purchasing power has declined while wage increases have been insufficient for family needs.…”