Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague. I would say it is time to walk the walk, not talk the talk. Whenever folks refuse to step to the plate to actually balance the budget--the last President to do so being Bill Clinton--they start talking about a way distant, future balanced budget amendment. This balanced budget amendment they talk about is not going to solve our problem in the next 5 years. We have to get to work right now, and that is what we are trying to do on this side, with a fair and balanced approach. The balanced budget amendment my colleague speaks about would, if we look at the amounts--18 percent GDP--cut deeper than the Ryan budget. It would end Medicare as we know it. It would mean things we take for granted, such as food safety inspectors and flight inspectors, would have to be cut, and then it makes it impossible to close tax loopholes for millionaires and billionaires. It is not a balanced budget amendment; it is an unbalanced budget amendment because it simply reflects an ideological view that my good colleague and friend from Louisiana has but does not reflect the views of either a majority of this Chamber or certainly the American people. So let's walk the walk. Let's not just talk the talk. I think that is very important to note. Cutting spending, which is done in the Ryan budget, is not going to work in terms of balancing the budget. It just can't, unless we decimate programs, such as Medicare, without revenues. That is what I am here to talk about today.…”