On the recordFebruary 11, 2016
Democrats don't want to default. We believe we should get our deficits under control now and not at the moment of default. I believe my Republican colleagues continue to run from deadline to deadline, creating great anxiety. I don't know if you all noticed how the markets are reacting today with the situation in Europe and in China. We are not doing so well, yet we continue this notion of bringing back before the people, before the world, the notion that we will have a default someday and we will prioritize the payment of default, creating the notion or the idea that somehow the U.S. Government might even default on its bills someday. That in and of itself is very destabilizing, and we will have an amendment coming up a little later on this afternoon. In fact, this President--our President--has a proposal in his budget to cut an additional $3 trillion from our Nation's deficit on top of the $4 trillion in deficit reduction that has already been enacted into law. In fact, this President--President Obama--cut the $1 trillion Bush deficit in half--in more than half--in 4\1/2\ years. America is moving forward. But the underlying issue is the Republicans are afraid that if they allow the White House to come here to the Hill in the form of a budget director to testify on the budget, these pesky little facts will become more commonly known to the American people.…
