Frank Pallone: “we are getting perilously close to default. When I listen to some of the comments that are being made by Speaker…”

“we are getting perilously close to default. When I listen to some of the comments that are being made by Speaker Gingrich and the Republican leadership about the debt ceiling and when we are going to bring up a clean debt ceiling, or whether we even will, I get very concerned. Yesterday I listened to the Speaker, and he said that the debt ceiling or the possibility of bringing up extension of the debt ceiling was going to be linked in some way to a budget agreement, or further action on other legislation before this House. I think that is the wrong way to go. President Clinton said very emphatically in his State of the Union Address that we should have a clean debt ceiling and we should not wait around much longer to do it. Already it is a possibility that after today we will not be in session either next week or for a few weeks thereafter, and so far I have heard no statement by the Republican leadership that they are going to bring up a clean debt ceiling bill to extend the debt and to allow us to prevent default. When is this going to come up? How much longer are we going to have to wait around here for the Republican leadership to play around with this issue? Already it is having a negative impact on our economy and I think it is about time that we faced up to our responsibility and brought up a clean debt ceiling bill so this Government does not go into default.”